On April 1, Dallas Mavericks rookie forward Cooper Flagg joined “The Pat McAfee Show” and opened up about how difficult it’s been to suffer through a losing season for the first time in his life.
“Obviously, it’s been tough,” Flagg, 19, said. “Through high school [and] college, I mean, I only lost four games last year [at Duke], so there’s been times throughout the season where it’s been really mentally taxing on me. Just not having success that I would’ve hoped for.
Obviously, we’ve had a lot of injuries and a lot of unfortunate things happen throughout the year, but it’s obviously not been ideal.”
Flagg’s rookie year ended on a less-than-ideal note on Sunday.
The Mavericks beat the Chicago Bulls 149-128 in the regular-season finale, but Flagg limped off the floor in the second quarter after landing awkwardly on his ankle.
According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Flagg suffered a sprained left ankle.
Flagg was enjoying an exceptional April. He became the first teenager to score 50 points in an NBA game when he put up 51 against the Orlando Magic on April 3. Flagg followed that up with 45 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 5. As has been the case all season, the Mavs went 2-4 in their final six despite Flagg’s historic output.
The 2025 No. 1 overall pick played so well down the stretch that he became the odds-on favorite to win Rookie of the Year. Charlotte Hornets sharp shooter Kon Knueppel had been the presumptive Rookie of the Year for much of the season.
The Mavericks finished the season with a 26-56 record. But Flagg is the silver lining.
The pressure is on the Mavericks’ front office to rebuild a winner around Flagg after trading away beloved All-Star and All-NBA guard Luka Doncic to the Lakers in February 2025. A favorable outcome in the NBA draft lottery would help.
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