Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg delivered a historic performance on Monday, scoring a season-high 43 points to lead his team to a 125-122 victory over the Indiana Pacers. The 19-year-old added 10 rebounds, six assists and three steals on 16-of-25 shooting, becoming the first teenager in NBA history to record five 40-point games — a total that matches the combined output of LeBron James and Anthony Edwards during their teenage seasons.
Record-Breaking Night
Flagg's outing also moved him into third place on the all-time scoring list for players before turning 20, with 1,732 points, trailing only Kobe Bryant (1,759) and James (2,362). He joined Kevin Durant as the only teenagers to post a 40-point, 10-rebound, five-assist game. The Mavericks have now won three straight to improve to 7-4 on the season.
All-Around Impact
For the season, Flagg is averaging 25.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 2.2 steals, ranking 11th in the league in scoring, 16th in assists and fifth in steals. "He affects the game in so many ways, and he makes the right plays as far as passing. Thank goodness he's on our team," Mavericks coach Dusty May said. "It's unbelievable he's a 19-year-old doing this."
Mid-Range Mastery
Flagg's offseason work on his mid-range game has paid immediate dividends. He is shooting 59.5% on off-the-dribble two-point attempts this season (25 of 42), the best among players with at least 40 such attempts, up from 37.8% a year ago. "I think just being able to get to my spots at a higher level... has allowed me to take a little bit of load off my body," Flagg explained. His efficiency around the rim (61.7% on six attempts per game) and at the free-throw line (90.3%) have also fueled his scoring surge.
Three-Point Development
The one area still lagging is three-point shooting, where Flagg is at 29.2% on slightly more attempts than his rookie campaign (29.5%). He is converting just 31.6% of wide-open looks. However, his 38.5% mark from deep during his lone season at Duke and his elite free-throw percentage suggest improvement is likely. "Like the 3-point percentage obviously hasn't been great, but I still trust myself," Flagg said. "I'm gonna keep shooting it."
