Most nineteen year olds celebrate reaching adulthood by successfully navigating a self checkout machine or finally figuring out which bin the recycling goes in. Cooper Flagg, however, spent his Monday night rewriting the NBA history books and making LeBron James look like a bit of a late bloomer.
The Dallas Mavericks’ number one draft pick dropped 40 points against the Utah Jazz, snatching the record for the most points by an 19 year old from “King James” himself. But in true elite athlete fashion where a win is everything and a record is just a piece of paper, Flagg looked about as happy as a man who’d just won the lottery only to realise he’d washed the ticket in his jeans.
The “LeBron Who?” Moment
To put this in perspective, LeBron’s record of 37 points has stood since 2003 back when we were all still using flip phones and thinking The Da Vinci Code was deep literature. Flagg didn’t just nudge the record; he stomped on it. He added seven rebounds and six assists for good measure, becoming only the fifth rookie in 15 years to join the “40-5-5” club.
Despite the heroics, Dallas fell 140-133 in overtime. Flagg, sat in the locker room with his ankle wrapped in enough ice to sink the Titanic, was predictably sullen. “It’s tough for me to want to be happy,” he muttered. It’s the classic burden of the overachiever: breaking a 22 year old record is a “success,” sure, but losing to Utah is apparently a national tragedy.
Mastery, Mavericks, and Missed Free Throws
With Anthony Davis sidelined (a sentence that is practically a Mad Libs staple at this point), the Mavericks leaned on the teenager like he was the only person in the room who knew the Wi-Fi password.
Flagg showed a level of “savvy” that usually takes a decade to acquire. Late in the fourth, he missed a free throw on purpose with such tactical precision that it allowed teammate Max Christie to grab the rebound and force overtime. It was the basketball equivalent of a pool shark’s trick shot, proving that Flagg’s “basketball IQ” is significantly higher than his actual age would suggest.
However, the Jazz decided that overtime was no place for teenage dreams, launching an 11-0 run that left Flagg scoreless in the extra period. The rookie was quick to blame himself for “dumb turnovers,” ignoring the fact that he’d essentially carried the entire franchise on his back for the previous 48 minutes.
The New Face of Dallas
Coach Jason Kidd noted that the more time Flagg spends on the floor, the better he gets. Considering he’s already averaging 25.7 points over his last seven games, by mid season he might be legally required to give the opposition a head start.
Flagg also tied Mark Aguirre for the most points by a rookie in Mavs history. He’s not just settling in; he’s redecorating the place and changing the locks. While he might be focused on “being present” and “day-to-day improvement,” the rest of us are quite happy to sit back and watch a teenager turn the NBA into his personal playground even if he does need a bit of ice and a hug afterwards.
Related topics: Basketball
