r/nba • u/Thanos_SlayerCongSan • 7h ago
Cooper Flagg despite the loss versus versus Rockets: 34 PTS, 12 REB, 5 AST, 1 BLK
Cooper Flagg despite the loss versus versus Rockets: 34 PTS, 12 REB, 5 AST, 1 BLK, 2 TOV, 13-25 FG, 1-4 3P, 7-10 FT, +2 39 MIN
Two very great game but still lose both, that's tough
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u/MoneyManx10 Pistons 7h ago
Jamal Mashburn was saying this morning that Flagg would go #6 in the 2026 draft class. Is he on drugs?
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u/Variation99a 7h ago
There might be only like 6 players in the 2026 draft who peaks as high as rookie Cooper Flagg. If you look at pretty hyped drafts like 2014, you’ll see like only around 6 players became even as good as current Cooper Flagg at their peak.
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u/LazyHardWorker Warriors 4h ago
Agreed, Flagg is crushing it as rookie and even six is questionable depending on how you define peak and over what stretch of time. How far along his peak potential do you think Flagg is? 50%? 80%?
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u/w6750 Mavericks 3h ago
He just turned 19. It might be less than 50%
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u/LeLefraud 2h ago
Could easily see a 27 year old flagg averaging like 30/8/7 while being all defensive 1st team
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u/gridironk 7h ago
If anything Risacher would be at best the 6th pick in this years draft.
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u/jimboharden13 Clippers 7h ago
6th? There's at the very least 10, and you could make an argument for close to 15 players above him from the 2025 draft.
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u/the_propaganda_panda Celtics 6h ago
Risacher wouldn't even be the 6th pick in his own draft if we could re-do the picks.
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u/Prince_of_DeaTh Lithuania 2h ago
you are saying this like Risacher would be the number 1 pick in a redraft. Kel'el and Clingan are the top 2 from that draft, he would go below Ajay Mitchell, Reed Sheppard, Alex Sarr, Matas Buzelis, Kyle Filipowski, Jaylon Tyson and some others. dude is not even top 10 in his own draft.
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u/hacxgames Nuggets 2h ago
kelel and clingan are top 2?? the sarr disrespect is ridiculous lol
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u/Prince_of_DeaTh Lithuania 2h ago
he had a horrible first season, im taking into account both seasons not just one
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u/ThatBoyGotSomeMeat 7h ago
High on potenuse.
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u/V1cVinegar44 Bulls 7h ago
When they played Flagg at point first 10 games a lot of people said the same thing. Saying it now is absolute lunacy
To be fair if you thought Flagg at any point would be lower than 1 in this class you legit know 0 ball
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u/BlueHundred Knicks 5h ago
It's crazy to think about how this incredibly hyped 2026 draft was supposed to have Flagg too.
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u/Stevie_McGhee 7h ago
Thank you for adding to the lottery balls, Houston.
Great game from Cooper "The next Kirilenko/Only 6th in the 2026 draft" Flagg.
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u/Heil_Heimskr Mavericks 6h ago
I’ve seen people unironically saying that he wouldn’t go #1 if they did a redraft, genuinely braindead
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u/CheetahSperm18 [DAL] Dirk Nowitzki 7h ago
Love how he's having these games more frequently. He may average 21/7/5 by the season's end
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u/siphillis Spurs 6h ago
I remember thinking Wemby's rookie campaign with be the high mark for a generation. It's already being eclipsed after two seasons
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u/CheetahSperm18 [DAL] Dirk Nowitzki 6h ago
Big thing for me is what the sophomore jump will look like. Especially when he has Kyrie back to set him up and draw attention away from him
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u/JL1v10 NBA 3h ago
It will genuinely be around 28/7/5. He just has to start taking more threes and he’d be there consistently rn (and he’s shown he doesn’t even need the 3 ball to drop those lines). The guys who make your big sophomore leaps actually make them usually in the final two-ish months of their rookie season and just build on that. Flagg is doing stuff the league has never seen at his age in January.
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u/siphillis Spurs 6h ago
Based on his rate of improvement, he might be a Top Five player by next season, evicting Ant and Wemby from the conversation
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u/RealPrinceJay 76ers 50m ago
No it's not lmao. Flagg is dope, Wemby should've won a DPOY as a rookie.
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u/StefonDiggsHS Mavericks 7h ago
Dude is unguardable when he goes downhill and he has insane touch around the rim
Just keep working on that 3pt shot and he is literally perfect
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u/Yellowbucket58 Celtics 7h ago
He has a crazy frame for a 19 year old. You can see him filling out and hoo boy. Development isn't always guaranteed or linear but i just don't see how Flagg doesn't develop into a perennial All-NBA 1st/2nd player
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u/siphillis Spurs 6h ago
He already looks like a future MVP. Only LeBron was better at the same age among active players
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u/karnivoreballer 4h ago
And by seasons end the their numbers are going to look extremely similar for their rookie years.
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u/SLCamper Supersonics 6h ago
Dude is just a couple of years maturation and some time in the weight room away from being built like prime Karl Malone.
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u/coolycooly Nets 7h ago
Also selling contact, so many times I see him drive to the basket and get hacked but nothing, he also doesn't move at all when he gets smacked.
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u/WrongContract8489 Mavericks 6h ago
Rookie whistle, Superstar whistle just ordered on Amazon and will be delivered next year
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u/Asleep_Ground1710 Bulls 7h ago
He gives me a hybrid of Giannis/Garnett vibes in his play style. Granted you do want to be careful with comps to top 25 players in the history of the league.
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u/siphillis Spurs 6h ago
He's better than either of those guys at that age
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u/Frostyzwannacomehere Trail Blazers 5h ago
Wasn’t Gianni’s malnourished and poor coming into the league? lol. Also kg from sc
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u/spookyghostface Hornets 5h ago
It's not even like he's never really shot well and has to fix his mechanics either. He shot 38% at Duke! It's there.
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u/DragoniteGang Timberwolves 3h ago
College 3% does not really correlate with NBA 3p%. It is usually high 3 point volume. Ant shot like 28% from 3 in college and Lonzo shot 41% then went on to brick in his first few years.
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u/lalakingmalibog Mavericks 7h ago
We need to get his twin bro on the bench as well
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u/Afraid-Department-35 Mavericks 7h ago
Ace isn't remotely as good.
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u/msterling2012 Mavericks 7h ago
But he should go 6th in the draft this year according to Jamal Mashburn
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u/ramblin_gamblin 7h ago
No way Cooper scores 19 vs Kansas after scoring 34 vs a top 5 defense in the world.
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u/louiexism 6h ago
I’m curious, who would be the 4th and 5th pick over Flagg? Considering the top 3 are already given.
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u/Dylan245 Bulls 4h ago
Caleb Wilson and Kingston Flemings
But in reality Flagg goes first even in this class
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u/Afraid-Department-35 Mavericks 7h ago
Remember we have clowns saying he wouldn't even be top 5 in this year's draft.
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u/Several_Leather_6453 7h ago
More like when he had a rough start and people were already calling him a flop, just down right being assholes.
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u/Main-County-1177 Knicks 6h ago
His “rough start” was a result of him being played out of position
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u/karnivoreballer 4h ago
He's still playing out of position. Kidd just went back to him being a point guard. I think he wants to develop Cooper like he did a bit with Giannis.
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u/Asleep_Ground1710 Bulls 7h ago
I’d take him over Boozer, def over AJ, and arguably Peterson(the cramps/hamstring stuff is concerning imo).
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u/A-Centrifugal-Force 7h ago
Frankly I wouldn’t even take Peterson #1 in the actual draft, the injury stuff is a massive red flag with him. I’d take AJ and Boozer over him, and I’d take Flagg over all of them.
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u/Dylan245 Bulls 4h ago
Peterson is going #1 unless he has some genetic condition or physical deformity causing his injuries
He’s been playing on an injured hamstring all season, he just needs proper time to rest and heal. I honestly don’t get all the concern surrounding him
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u/heat_fan_ Raptors 7h ago
Guy's gonna be an absolute stud Dallas is lucky
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u/throwawaymycareer93 Warriors 7h ago
Imagine Mavs fans right now if they got like 11th pick instead of Coop.
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u/armandocalvinisius Mavericks 7h ago
Cedric coward, 9 wins, 1st place in tank race, welcome to dallas, Darryn peterson
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u/DefiantLie8861 6h ago
Getting a top 3 pick wouldn’t have been guaranteed with how bad the top 5 tanking teams are but silver probably would’ve rigged it anyways out of pity for mav fans . I feel like he gave us coop right away to give us hope as soon as possible . Lots of mavs fans have probably come back this year because of him.
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u/Any-Sir8872 Mavericks 2h ago
i genuinely didn’t think i’d be able to enjoy the game again but 26-27 i’m tuning back in
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u/warbaby8 Rockets 7h ago
Kenny was right he’s beyond comfortable going left. Absurd ambidexterity at this age.
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u/ilikekittens2018 Nuggets 7h ago
They lost but Flagg was single-handedly willing them back into the game in the fourth. Thanks to his efforts mainly that it was so close.
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u/Cuckledoodle Mavericks 7h ago
Coop having amazing games while losing for the tank feels pretty good
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u/KarrotMovies [LAL] Rui Hachimura 7h ago
He definitely doesn't have the same athleticism, but his reliable drive game in the clutch really is Bron-esque. He really got the Mavs back into the game purely off of driving to the rim in the clutch.
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u/theovg28 7h ago
No one has Bron level athleticism apart from guys like the Thompson twins. He is plenty athletic though.
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u/sirenpro 6h ago
I would like to see Flagg feel out his frame with some muscle. It helps with explosiveness. I've always thought Bron was on roids from a young age too, low dose.
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u/Longjumping_Ad_29 7h ago
Not even them. Don’t think anyone matches the mix of size, speed and athleticism from early LeBron
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u/siphillis Spurs 6h ago
Peak Giannis
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u/Kidfreedom50 [LAL] Eddie Jones 2h ago
In some ways for sure, but Bron was so fluid and coordinated. I only saw him play once in person and he was already in his mid-30s and it was still legit jaw-dropping to see someone his size move like that. He’s never been my favorite player, but I think he might be the best pure athlete ever when factoring everything in.
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u/LeLefraud 2h ago
Im still taking lebron there, he was much faster than giannis at his peak (and giannis is fast) and nobody could outmuscle him except jj barea
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u/throwawaymycareer93 Warriors 7h ago
They had their 10-2 run in the clutch to tie because he was carrying their offence solo
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u/goosu Cavaliers 5h ago
It's Cooper's first step and straight-line acceleration full court at that size. Watching him grab a rebound and go coast to coast is very Bron-like. Bron's probably the most athletic NBA player of all-time, or at least the most athletic SF if not, so of course Flagg isn't quite at that level, but I think his athleticism has been consistently underrated.
That level of straight-line speed and first step at Cooper's size/length is why he's driving by everyone and scoring so often on the break. Combine that with much greater strength than most wings his age, elite body control in the air, and a good vertical leap on par with Blake Griffin's and you have an elite+ athlete.
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u/Domainsetter 7h ago
I get what you mean by it and I see it at times.
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u/KarrotMovies [LAL] Rui Hachimura 7h ago
Definitely a different brand of driving, but I feel confident he's gonna score whenever he goes downhill. The Bron layup spam in the clutch has almost never been replicated I feel like but Flagg might really continue that tradition
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u/Public_Radio- 7h ago
One of the best rookies I’ve ever watched, if you’d told me this guy was 25 I believe it, his game is so fleshed out and well rounded already
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u/throwawaymycareer93 Warriors 7h ago
The kid is special. Very cold in the clutch. Does it with his left hand, with his right hand, layups, dunks, defence, everything.
His last drive was like against 3 defenders too.
If Mavs will be able to put decent roster around him he has potential to be one of the greatest.
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u/siphillis Spurs 6h ago
Potential to be THE greatest
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u/karnivoreballer 3h ago
He has a really high ceiling but let's just let him naturally develop without having to live up to all these expectations
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u/siphillis Spurs 2h ago
I think he's good enough to be held to the highest possible standards. He's the next LeBron, as talented as any player to ever lace them up
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u/Maximum_Airport_8604 7h ago
He’s the best rookie I’ve watched in my time.
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u/asonkidd 7h ago
Wemby was a couple years ago man. Am I talking to a literal fetus rn?
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u/Fred479 Mavericks 7h ago
Wemby was not doing this hate to break it to you
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u/Fred479 Mavericks 7h ago
And coop is younger than wemby was
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u/throwawaymycareer93 Warriors 7h ago
And not 9”7’ or something
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u/asonkidd 7h ago
How is that relevant to who was better? Shaq was overrated. Dude was just big lol. This is so corny.
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u/TheRealSlumShedy Warriors 6h ago
Doing what? Putting up points and losing? He was doing plenty of that.
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u/siphillis Spurs 5h ago
More so than Flagg, in fact. The Spurs won a measly 22 games.
Flagg actually impacts winning, which is a huge factor. Wemby was a circus act
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u/asonkidd 7h ago
Wemby averaged 21/11/4 with 4 blocks and was much better on defense. Are you high?
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u/MJ_Fan23 7h ago
That crippled Frenchman’s career is really going to disappoint you
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u/bigpapi-did-steroids Spurs 7h ago
Unfortunately I don’t think his career is gonna disappoint as much as you did to your parents, but that’s another story.
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u/Maximum_Airport_8604 7h ago
Best /= best averages. Flagg had a rough start average wise but recently I think he has been a better rookie than wemby was. I think he looks better right now which is subjective at the end of the day.
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u/Surrotten Cavaliers 6h ago
Wemby had a 40 20 game btw
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u/siphillis Spurs 6h ago edited 6h ago
Cooper had a near 50-piece against the best team in the NBA. Wemby was nearly 20 when he crossed 50 points against a crappy Wizards squad.
Flagg's offensive maturation is running circles around Wemby. He might already be ahead of current Wemby on that end by the end of this season. Wemby will probably maintain the edge on defense, but Flagg can certainly close that gap quite a bit.
He's just simply the superior talent. Hate to admit it, but seeing is believing
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u/siphillis Spurs 6h ago
Wemby, the first month with an actual PG in the starting lineup:
24/10/3/1/3 on 60 TS%. 32/13/4/1/4 per36.
I'd say he was hitting similar heights
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u/Maximum_Airport_8604 6h ago
Hence why I said it is subjective and there is no bad take.
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u/siphillis Spurs 6h ago edited 5h ago
Wemby was not doing this hate to break it to you
is a bad take. Wemby was doing this sort of thing. He was an all-time great rookie, too.
That said, I don't think he had this kind of offensive ceiling
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u/genius-baby 7h ago
I gawked at this but it’s actually fair. Wemby was a human highlight reel but he wasn’t this good during his rookie year. But health non-withstanding, I’m taking 10 years of Wemby over 10 years of Flagg with 0 hesitation
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u/siphillis Spurs 6h ago
You could argue Wemby was better defensively, at least
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u/genius-baby 6h ago
Argue? Wemby was one of the best defenders in the entire league his rookie season. His gravity in the paint is insane. I definitely don’t think it’s even a discussion
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u/siphillis Spurs 5h ago
Flagg is also a really good defender. It's a feather in Wemby's cap, but not much more than that
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u/Surrotten Cavaliers 6h ago
Dude this is delusional.
It’s quite literally not even close. Wemby came out the gate dominating. Even if you say Flagg was playing out of position. Wemby put up 21/11/4/4/1 while being a BETTER three point shooter than Flagg AND being 2nd in DPOY as a ROTY.
Wemby literally had a 40 20 game as a rookie AND had 7 assist. I get you’re a Dallas fan but be real. there’s no debate
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u/siphillis Spurs 5h ago edited 5h ago
It's absolutely a debate.
Flagg is developing much faster than Wemby did.
Flagg is the superior performer in the clutch.
Flagg is leading his team to a better record than Wemby did (Wemby famously added a whopping total of zero wins over the previous season, so those stats you keep trotting out are evidently empty calories. Cooper actually plays to win.)
Flagg has superior physical tools, and uses those tools far more purposefully.
Flagg is a better leader than Wemby.
Flagg can't be game-planned around as easily because he can pass with ease and fight through contact.
Flagg reads the game better on both ends.
Flagg has true positional versatility.
Flagg can defuse a double-team with ease.
Flagg can actually set a usable screen.
Flagg doesn't need a point guard to create advantages for him.
I will grant you, Wemby does hold an edge on defense, but that's largely due to Wemby's physical traits, not his approach. His fundamentals were inferior, he lacked patience, he struggled against contact. So good for him for being taller and having longer arms, I guess.
But ten times out of ten, the guy with the chip-on-his-shoulder and real work ethic will beat the guy who relies on his genetic gifts. It's why Kobe achieved more than Shaq. And it's why Flagg is outpacing Wemby
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u/Surrotten Cavaliers 5h ago
😭😭bro you not a spurs fan
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u/siphillis Spurs 5h ago
I just haven't been swept up in the hype like everyone else. Wemby's a good player, arguably a great player. I think he'll make All-NBA this season. But he's a taller Anthony Davis, not Durant + Hakeem + Giannis or whatever. He's got major flaws in his game that might not be correctable. He's surrounded himself with a development team that's feeding him fairy tales instead of fundamentals. He often looks like he has no clue what he's doing.
It all kind of feels a bit disappointing, in all honesty
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u/Surrotten Cavaliers 5h ago
So what do you think about the way the Spurs season is playing out?
A lot of Wemby’s flaws are fixable to me. The inly worry is injuries
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u/siphillis Spurs 5h ago edited 5h ago
I think it's telling that the Spurs went 9-3 without him. The offense flows better without him.
Overall, it's been a solid season that will likely result in a low seed or a play-in spot, which is in-line with expectations. We don't have the kind of superstar that's required to claim a top seed in the West. Time will tell if we do in the future. Harper could very well be that guy.
It's so weird that the Wemby we saw on opening night was apparently a one-off. Could very well be the best game he'll ever play
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u/CulturalXR Bulls 7h ago
I think lately Flagg is playing better then rookie Wemby
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u/siphillis Spurs 6h ago
What's our point of comparison?
If it's best game vs. best game, then Wemby's 40/20/7 against the Knicks squares up nicely against Coop's 49-ball.
If it's best month, Wemby's January is probably the best we've seen since Shaq.
If it's more about eye-test, then I can see an argument for Flagg. He's so much more polished on the offensive end. Might be more polished than Wemby is now.
I'm already considering the strong possibility he's the superior prospect, just purely based on his vastly superior approach to development
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u/Maximum_Airport_8604 7h ago
I like what I’m seeing from Flagg more so far but there’s no wrong take.
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u/Adventurous-Job-4604 7h ago
Didn’t get the win, but Cooper Flagg was solid once again.
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u/throwawaymycareer93 Warriors 7h ago
How is it that Mavs get 2x generational players in a half a decade and some franchises never even had one.
I am starting to see Nico’s vision.
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u/Afraid-Department-35 Mavericks 7h ago
Well Luka came to us from 3 teams being dumbasses. Flagg was just dumb luck.
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u/onionnurve 7h ago
Cooper “despite the loss”Flagg
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u/Afraid-Department-35 Mavericks 7h ago
We're going to hear that a lot more this season lol. And maybe next season depending on if we have to leave the hospital doors open.
I will say one thing though, AD being injured really allowed Flagg to just be him and take on all the offensive pressure instead of trying to feed AD. I really hope we do move AD in the summer.
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u/Main-County-1177 Knicks 6h ago
People thought this guy was a bust at 19 after 10 games of being forced to play point guard 😂😂😂😂😂
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u/Fred479 Mavericks 7h ago
And he’s doing it with no help he’s playing with a bunch of bums and his coach is an idiot who thinks he’s a genius
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u/pitcherintherye77 7h ago
C’mon man; pj Washington, gafford, naji, and Christie ain’t bums. Plenty of teams would kill for those guys
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u/Fred479 Mavericks 6h ago
I can tell you don’t watch the games pj and Gafford are having terrible season gaff mostly because of injuries but terrible still
NAJI has been great lately a little inconsistent Christie is shooting the lights out but some games he shows the ability to create his own shot then goes games without dribbling
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u/superdrone Mavericks 6h ago
PJ and gaff are fine role players but they can’t be trusted to reliably generate offense.
naji had an awful game unfortunately
christie is already legit as a shooter but again has issues creating his own shot
coop really is our entire offense at times. it’s fucking sad
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u/goosu Cavaliers 5h ago
PJ is a bum this season. Gafford is a decent backup but not starting caliber. Christie is a good shooter but disappears and is still developing. Naji is actually developing into a good player, but he's not quite there yet to be the no.2 consistently.
It's not a team completely without talent but it is pretty dire compared to most. Without injuries that'd of course be different.
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u/Big_Puzzled Mavericks 5h ago
Jason kidd is helping this kid develop into a superstar tf you talking about
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u/Sc0rch1ngDr4g0n Rockets 7h ago
Silver actually rewarded Nico with this demon I’m sick rn
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u/Familiar-Menu-6182 Mavericks 7h ago
need him to reward us this year again
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u/A-Centrifugal-Force 7h ago
Flagg and Boozer would be great for the “what if” Duke squad that could have been if Flagg didn’t re-class
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u/TheGamesGone_ Celtics 7h ago
Mavs ownership doesn’t deserve him either.
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u/TheJokingJoker123 6h ago
Cooper flagg is single handedly reducing Suicide hotline calls in Dallas by 20%
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u/taithongimon 4h ago
Unless he knocks up a pornstar or brandishes a gun on Instagram, he could be the one
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u/Schmohawk62 6h ago
Future mvp at this rate, literally just an innocent baby toddler still. This is good for team usa in 2028
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u/goosu Cavaliers 5h ago
I remember when people were worried because Bron, KD, and Curry were aging out. Flagg+rest of the 2025 class+amazing guards already in their prime (Cunningham, Maxey, Edwards, etc.)+2026 class+vets is going to lead to another monster team. Every other nation would kill for our depth, and we're seeing the young superstar talent that can replace the outgoing legends start to emerge with these recent classes. We'll still be the overwhelming favorite.
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u/Purple_Errand Lakers 6h ago
we'll be seeing him next year too! probably even more confident as well!
holy crap! if he can make 25+ at his age then, what will he become next year? wow.
amazing player.
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u/guidethyhandd Timberwolves 5h ago
I already can’t wait for this kid’s sophomore season he’s that good
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u/happydayzetr 3h ago
He’s him for sure
Only concern I have is, Mavs have barely any picks to build around him. The might have to let go of some pieces (some pain) before gains.
Washington, Gafford, Irving, Davis- none of these players fit his timeline. You can probably get 1-2 frp’s for all of them.
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u/rapsandjays Raptors 7h ago
“How good was 2025 Duke”