Mavericks Rookie Cooper Flagg Admits Issue With His 31-Point Game
After a rather underwhelming Summer League debut, Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg bounced back against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.
Advertisement
In the battle of the two Texas teams, Flagg exploded for 31 points on 10-of-21 shooting. The No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft also had four rebounds and an assist, while committing just two turnovers.
Flagg outshined 2025 No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper, who had 16 points for the Spurs. Harper, however, had six rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.
While the Mavs ended up losing 76-69, it was still an overall encouraging showing for Flagg. After all, in his first game against the Los Angeles Lakers, he was 5-of-21 from the field en route to scoring just 10 points.
Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) scored 31 points against the San Antonio Spurs in the Summer League.Candice Ward-Imagn Images
After the game, Flagg talked about his play and noticeable improvement, a clear sign that he has gotten more comfortable with the level of play. Nonetheless, he acknowledged that it still wasn't a great performance, pointing out his free throw shooting as a key issue.
Advertisement
The 18-year-old forward was 8-of-13 from the free throw line, something that Flagg says his mom won't be happy about.
"Missed a bunch of free throws, my mom probably isn't very happy with that," Flagg said while talking to the media following the game, per Joey Mistretta of ClutchPoints.
There's certainly room for improvement for Cooper Flagg, but there's no denying that he showed against the Spurs the talent and skills that made him the best prospect in the class of 2025.
Flagg and the Mavericks return to action on Monday against the Charlotte Hornets. It will be an interesting matchup, as Flagg faces off against his former Duke Blue Devils teammate Kon Knueppel — the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 draft.
Advertisement
Related: Cooper Flagg's Physical Appearance is Turning Heads Before Summer League
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Golden State Warriors Make Announcement During Offseason
Golden State Warriors Make Announcement During Offseason originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Golden State Warriors are not in good graces with fans. It's been over two weeks since the opening of free agency, and the organization has made no moves. Advertisement ESPN insider Shams Charania offered some insight behind the lack of action from the Warriors, and it hinges on one player: Jonathan Kuminga. 'The Warriors have not made a move yet this offseason because a lot of what they're going to do, or trying to do, hinges on [Kuminga's] restricted free agency,' Charania said on Sirius XM radio. 'Does he come back on a deal? Or are you signing and trading him?' Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr talks to forward Jonathan Terada-Imagn Images Kuminga is a restricted free agent. It's clear his future with Golden State is bleak, though the club doesn't want to let him walk for free. So are they re-signing him, or will they land a deal on a sign-and-trade? Advertisement The Warriors are also waiting on a decision from Al Horford. The former Boston Celtics center and NBA champion is weighing his options between four teams and retirement. Warriors make announcement on Tuesday While the Warriors look to join the party and make a free agency deal, they made an announcement regarding the 2025-26 NBA season. Their preseason schedule has arrived, and will go as follows: Sunday, October 5: vs. Los Angeles Lakers (5:30 p.m.) Wednesday, October 8: vs. Portland Trail Blazers (7:00 p.m.) Sunday, October 12: @ Los Angeles Lakers (6:30 p.m.) Tuesday, October 14: @ Portland Trail Blazers (7:00 p.m.) Friday, October 17: vs. Los Angeles Clippers (7:00 p.m.) Summer League is underway. A preseason schedule has been released. And the Warriors' front office still has yet to strike a free agency deal. With Stephen Curry's career winding down and having Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green on the roster, the team is in a win-now position. Simply put, there needs to be more urgency from Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the rest of the front office. Advertisement Kuminga's situation is taking time, though, which is likely going to be the first domino to fall. From there, the Warriors can get active in the trade market and in exploring deals with remaining free agents, as they look to bolster their squad before preseason and the new season. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
NBA Summer League Day 5: Johnny Furphy's legendary dunk, Kyle Filipowski, Jazz put on a show
We're into the second phase of Summer League, with a lot of the stars done, but not all. And those stars showed out on Monday. Johnny Furphy's legendary dunk This whole game was fun. The Bulls and the Pacers combined for the most entertaining game of the Summer League so far. Advertisement However, it was the Pacers' Johnny Furphy who stole the show with a legendary dunk. Poor Noa Essengue is about to be a meme. To be fair, Essengue scored 21 points, while Matas Buzelis showed why he is too good to still be playing in Summer League, scoring 28 points. It wasn't just those buckets; it was that the Bulls were getting theirs with flair in an up-and-down, fast-paced game. —Kurt Helin Spurs and Jazz put on a show The matchup between the Spurs and Jazz ended up being one of the best games of Summer League so far. Kyle Filipowski dominated early and often, knocking down three triples in the first four minutes of the game and finishing with 35 points, 11 rebounds and five three-pointers. He had a layup to give Utah a late lead before Dylan Harper tied it up to force overtime, and Filipowski also had a dunk with two seconds left in overtime to tie the game before Riley Minix nailed the game-winning shot at the buzzer. Filipowski has been fantastic through Summer League in both Utah and Las Vegas, and it wouldn't be shocking if they opted to shut him down for the remainder of the summer. With John Collins now in Los Angeles, Filipowski should be a key contributor for the Jazz this season. John Tonje made his Summer League debut for Utah and finished with 16 points and four three-pointers. The 24-year-old rookie shined at Wisconsin last season and could be an NBA-ready scoring option for the Jazz this year, though the amount of depth Utah has will make it difficult for him to earn minutes. Advertisement Carter Bryant continued to play high-level defense, and Dylan Harper was solid despite not being quite as good as he was against Dallas, but David Jones-Garcia was the star once again. He dropped 28 points in the win, which was his fifth-straight game scoring at least 20 points this summer. The only time he didn't reach 20, he finished with 18 points. Jones-Garcia has certainly played his way into at least a two-way contract, especially if he keeps this up. —Noah Rubin Other notes from Summer League • Kel'el Ware responds after Spoelstra's criticism. In his first game at the Las Vegas Summer League, Miami's promising young big man Kel'el Ware was uninspiring, scoring 10 points with six boards and kind of coasting through the game (it's a concerning sign when a guy who got so much run as a rookie does not dominate in Summer League). The next day, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra showed up at Summer League practice and had some pointed words for Ware: Advertisement "A big part of this is he has to really embrace and improve his professionalism, his consistency, his approach every single day. He has to get better with that. It's learning how to become a pro. I understand it. He was 20 last year, and he's 21. We have bigger expectations... "The professionalism and consistency has to improve, and it is. Our standards are not going to change, and our expectations and how fast we want that to improve for him are not going to change. But he has to get better at it, he has to take ownership of it, and the other stuff will come along with that." Ware got the message. He was much more intense and focused against the Cavaliers on Sunday, scoring 21 points on 8-of-14 shots, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. On Sunday, Ware had another strong game with 21 points and 15 boards against Boston. —Helin • Kon Knueppel looks better. Kon Knueppel struggled in his Summer League debut on Friday and then sat out on Saturday. However, he was finally able to get things going against the Mavericks. He made an impact in a variety of ways, finishing with 16 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three three-pointers. He was solid on defense, created shots for his teammates and had a double-double after not recording one during his lone season at Duke. Oh yeah, and he can shoot too. —Rubin • Așa Newell's 3-point shot. Asa Newell hit four three-pointers on Sunday, which was an encouraging sign for his development. Deep-range shooting will be a huge swing skill for his future in the NBA. Advertisement On Monday, he only hit one, but it was clear the defense respected his shot. Early in the first quarter, he got his defender to jump on a pump fake, which set up a strong drive to the basket and a pair of free throws. Newell doesn't need to be an elite stretch big for the Hawks; they have Kristaps Porzingis for that. However, if he can at least space the floor enough for the defense to respect his shot, Trae Young and Jalen Johnson won't have any issues getting to the rim when Newell is in the game. Newell's lone shot from deep came late in the game to tie things up at 99, and he followed that up with a Euro step layup in transition to give Atlanta the lead. He finished with 14 points and six rebounds in the overtime victory. —Rubin • The highs and lows of Kobe Bufkin. Sure, there were plenty of mistakes, especially early, but Kobe Bufkin still had some positive aspects to his performance. He scored a game-high 25 points, including five of Atlanta's seven in overtime. However, he turned it over nine times and committed seven fouls. Yikes. Not what you want to see out of a first-round pick entering his third season. Bufkin would probably benefit from some extra games this summer. —Rubin Advertisement • Kennedy Chandler looking good. Kennedy Chandler continued to shine for the Rockets. He finished with 22 points, seven assists, and three steals and is now averaging 19 points, 4.3 assists, and 2.0 steals per game this summer. He had the ball in his hands a little extra with Reed Sheppard shut down for the rest of Summer League. Whether or not it's with Houston, Chandler has made a case to earn a two-way contract next season. —Rubin
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Controversial Automated Ball-Strike system is a 'good addition,' but needs development, MLB All-Star says
ATLANTA – Minor league baseball players have had the opportunity to get familiar with the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system. Major league players were introduced to it in spring training, but once the regular season began, home plate ruled on whether a pitch fell within the strike zone. The challenge system, which has sparked some controversy in the baseball world, will make its primetime debut at Tuesday's MLB All-Star Game. The reaction in the days since the MLB confirmed the system would be utilized has been mixed. Those who hold baseball's traditions dear have expressed frustration or even outrage. Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan, however, took a more measured approach. "I think it's a cool addition," Kwan told Fox News Digital on Monday in Atlanta, the host city for this year's Midsummer Classic. "I think (we) need some more experience with it. We only got to do it in spring training. It's definitely some spring training when you're in the (batters) box with it, but I think overall it's a good addition." During the All-Star game, the National League team and the American League club will each be allowed two challenges. If a challenge is used and upheld, the team will be able to retain it. A batter, pitcher or catcher can challenge a ball-strikes call. However, if a player does want to issue a challenge, time is of the essence. Any challenge has to be presented immediately after a strike or a ball is called. Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes was among the high-profile players who chimed in on the ABS system. "Pitchers think everything is a strike," the Pirates ace told reporters in Atlanta on Monday. "Then you go back and look at it, and it's two, three balls off. So we should not be the ones that are challenging it. I really do like the human element of the game. I think this is one of those things that you kind of think umpires are great until they're not." Skenes appeared to take a nonchalant position on the matter, saying he "could kind of care less, either way, to be honest." The ABS system is not expected to be involved in regular season games once the All-Star break ends. The MLB has not revealed any potential timetable for using the system in regular or postseason games, but testing it in the All-Star game appears to be a step toward it eventually becoming a part of the game. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
