DALLAS — Cooper Flagg got to media day an hour early last Friday to get a head start on the day. At points in his rookie season, he said, he was going in blind.
The Dallas Mavericks took him first overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, and he averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 70 games. He led Dallas in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. That made him the first rookie to lead his team in all four since Michael Jordan. On April 3, he scored 51 against Orlando and became the youngest player in NBA history with a 50-point game.
Flagg won Rookie of the Year with 56 of the 100 first-place votes, edging former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel of Charlotte. Only LeBron James won the award at a younger age. Dallas went 26-56.
He called this summer a great one for himself and for the rest of the roster, with a lot of players in the gym all summer.
“I think rookie season is done, so now I’m just improving for the rest of my career. Just trying to get better every single day, and that’s what this offseason was about for me,” Flagg said. “Taking care of my body, resting, getting my mind right. But then also just being in the gym, working on individual things, skill things, stuff like that, that are obviously going to allow me to [be] better for the rest of my career, so I’m really, really proud of myself and how the offseason went.”
Cooper Flagg On His Shot, His Strength, And Year-Two Comfort
Shooting was the one dent in his rookie numbers. Flagg shot 46.8% from the field, 29.5% from three on 3.5 attempts per game, and 82.7% from the free-throw line, after shooting 38.5% from three in his one season at Duke. He traced the drop to how he approached his shots.
“I’m not sure exactly. I mean, obviously there’s a lot of different factors when going from the college line to the NBA line. It’s a little farther back, the game’s a different pace, but I just felt like I was indecisive, I think, a lot of the year,” Flagg explained. “And I wasn’t confident shooting shots that I normally should.”
“So I think a lot of it comes out of my preparation, which I’ve worked a lot on this offseason, the preparation, the confidence, and the mindset,” Flagg continued. “And I think when those three things align for me and I’m prepared, I’m ready to shoot, I’m confident just shooting my shots that I’m gonna be a lot higher percentage.”
Mavericks coach Dusty May calls last season an aberration. A player tasked with doing so much usually shoots a lower percentage, according to May, and the players around Flagg this season should get him better looks.
“Well, first and foremost, he’s put in the work, and when you put in the work, you have the confidence to do it in the games. He shot it well today. He’s shooting with confidence. We believe in him as a shooter,” May said Saturday. “It’s not uncommon for a guy to shoot a lower percentage when he’s tasked with doing so much more. I think the players he’s playing with this year, assuming we stay healthy, are going to allow him to get even better shots, and then, like he said, just being decisive.”
“We want him to shoot it. I think last year was a simple aberration based on a lot of other circumstances,” May continued. “So we anticipate Coop making a big jump as far as the shooting.”
May also wants more of Flagg’s shots at the rim. Running the floor in transition and crashing the offensive glass are both part of how May plans to get them.
“A number of things. The way he’s running the floor in transition now, we’re excited about the opportunities that gives him. Him on the offensive glass gives him more rim finishes. He’s so athletic, and he obviously has size and instincts,” May explained Sunday. “Getting him to take advantage of his offensive rebounding ability, and then if we surround him with better shooting and better spacing and we’re connected as a group, where we’re playing off of each other, I think it will organically happen.”
Flagg has gone through an 82-game schedule now. He knows his spots and where he wants to get to.
“Just comfortable, I think. Just the comfortability. Familiarity of just being out there and knowing my spots and where I want to get to,” Flagg said Wednesday. “I think a lot comes with having a year of experience of playing 70 games, but going through an 82-game schedule and knowing what comes with that. So I think it’s a lot of that comfortability and confidence that comes with that.”
He was in the weight room before Wednesday’s availability, and he has added muscle. Flagg can’t think of a part of his game that added strength would hurt.
“I think it just helps to be well-rounded. Adding on strength obviously can help create space, get to spots defensively. I don’t think there’s any areas that adding strength can really hurt you,” Flagg said. “I’m excited. Like I said, just the comfortability, confidence, feel prepared.”
Cooper Flagg On Dusty May, Masai Ujiri, And Changing The Culture
May has been everything Flagg hoped for through four practices. The coach’s gratitude for being part of a team again has spread through the roster, Flagg said.
“He’s great. He’s a leader. You can tell he really cherishes being a part of a team again, sharing his experience with all of us. Him having that gratitude, I think it extends to everybody else,” Flagg said. “Everybody else feels grateful, and it gives you that perspective of just being grateful for being on a team. And I think it’s allowed us all to kind of get on the same page.”
Offensive rebounding, playing fast, conditioning, and trusting the pass have been May’s biggest points of emphasis, according to Flagg.
The losing was new for Flagg last season. He won a national title at Montverde Academy and reached the Final Four at Duke before Dallas lost 56 games.
“Tough, obviously. Never want to lose, never gonna be okay with losing games, but just finding ways to learn from the losses better, knowing that you’re not gonna win every game. It’s not possible,” Flagg said Friday. “So just taking that for what it’s worth and trying to learn from every experience, good, bad, in between. And knowing that when we are losing, we have to find ways to adapt and change and get better on the fly. And I think that’s something that I learned and got better with all through the year last year.”
He wants to lay a foundation this season that Dallas can build on. That work started with president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri.
“Just the culture. Masai came in and he set out with one goal: to just change the culture back to winning, competing. And that’s really what we’ve tried to do so far through this summer and the start of training camp, is just really building that culture first and building a foundation,” Flagg said. “And we have to build up from there. We can’t skip steps. We can’t jump past things. We just have to start at the bottom and build our way up.”
Flagg is also trying to talk more on the floor.
“Trying to be, yeah. That’s a big thing, obviously. Trying to grow up quick, be as much of a leader as I can be, and help communicate and get everybody on the same page,” Flagg said.
May is amazed by how productive Flagg was as a 19-year-old with the weight that was put on him last season. Defenses made Flagg their focal point, May said at media day.
“We’re excited to help him on his journey and grow at whatever rate he grows at. He puts in the work. He’s very intelligent. He’s a great teammate. And all those things typically lead towards a rapid ascension to being one of the best players,” May said. “But right now, it really is dependent upon his teammates and all of those around him. I think all of our success is more dependent on who’s to the left and who’s to the right than we probably realize it at the time.”
Flagg averaged 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks as a rookie, and May expects the blocks to climb. Flagg is a quick jumper with good instincts off the ball, according to May.
“I can’t imagine that doesn’t go up. Once you get to a point, it goes up exponentially,” May said Monday. “He’s a quick jumper with anticipation skills, so I would anticipate his blocks would be up. So yeah, I can’t give you a number.”
Cooper Flagg On Klay Thompson, New Shooters, And The Macao Trip
Klay Thompson spent two seasons with Dallas before an Aug. 21 buyout, and he has since joined the Miami Heat. What Flagg took from playing with Thompson was how much a shooter coming off screens opens up the floor.
“A guy like Klay, obviously just having somebody like that out there that can space the floor, just knowing how valuable that is and how much gravity that he was able to command and the way he used it,” Flagg said. “He commanded a lot of gravity when he was coming off screens and opened up the rest of the floor. So just learning someday how I’m going to be able to use my gravity to help get my teammates open looks.”
There is more shooting around him this season. Zaccharie Risacher, whom Flagg called probably the team’s most in-shape player, has been knocking down shots in camp.
“Obviously, we’ve got a lot of new faces in the building, a lot of new guys on the team. So I think just adding a lot of shooting obviously helps space the floor and get everybody open, clear lanes,” Flagg said. “So it’s been great to play with those guys and kind of feel out how it’s going to be.”
Kyrie Irving is back after missing all of last season with a torn ACL, and the two have never played a regular-season game together. Both said at media day that playing together will come easy.
Flagg has never been to China. Dallas plays the Houston Rockets on Oct. 9 and Oct. 11 at The Venetian Arena in Macao, 13 hours ahead of Dallas. Flagg sees the trip as a chance to grow the franchise overseas.
“This game takes me all over the country. It’s taken me around the world before. So I’m really excited to be able to travel somewhere new and get a new experience and play in front of a whole new audience,” Flagg said. “Obviously it’s a good opportunity for all of us individually to build our brands. There’s an incredible market over there. But as a team, too, make the Mavericks popular around the world. And that’s a goal that we can do.”
The team may spend a day in Hong Kong. Golf is another way Flagg has connected with teammates. He counts himself, Caleb Martin, and Max Christie as the three regulars. John Poulakidas just started taking lessons, and Dereck Lively II just bought a set of clubs.
After Macao, Dallas hosts the New Orleans Pelicans on Oct. 14 and the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 16, then opens the regular season at Houston on Oct. 21. The home opener is Oct. 24 against San Antonio at 7 p.m. CT.
