Cooper Flagg showed glimpse of abilities in NBA Summer League debut  

Cooper Flagg's NBA Summer League debut drew as much interest as possible for an exhibition game in the summer. In addition to it being the first time fans could see the No. 1 overall pick of this year's NBA Draft on the court, his Dallas Mavericks were facing the Los Angeles Lakers and Bronny James. 

Las Vegas' Thomas & Mack Center was packed on Thursday as everyone watched Flagg, believed to be the NBA's next generational star, battle the son of the face of the league for the past two decades. 

While James has shown signs of progress and is working on his game in his second NBA Summer League ahead of his sophomore season, the main story was how Flagg fared. 

If you ask the former Duke Blue Devil how he performed, you'll hear him only focus on what he didn't do well. 

"One of the worst games of my life," said Flagg when asked to evaluate his play. 

It was far from all bad, though, especially when you consider it was his first pro game.

Flagg scored 10 points, converting on just 5-of-21 shots in 32 minutes. For a player billed as a future top pick since early high school and who averaged 19.2 points per game as the National Player of the Year during his lone college season, an inefficient showing like he had on Thursday is far below his usual standard. 

In addition to his 10 points, Flagg added six rebounds, three assists and three steals. He showed he can do far more than just put the ball in the basket. 

Flagg facilitated for others and created offense, something the Mavericks will rely on him to do right away as Kyrie Irving recovers from season-ending surgery. With Irving not expected to return until the spring of 2026 at the earliest, Dallas may turn to Flagg to run the offense and serve as its point guard early in the season, even if that doesn't ultimately become his role when the team is fully assembled. 

Beyond his statistics, Flagg showcased his skills, making what ESPN reporter Tim McMahon called "winning plays" in his recap. One example was when Flagg turned a steal into a dunk the other way.