DALLAS — Dallas Mavericks coach Dusty May said Thursday that Cooper Flagg is capable of games with 10 or 15 assists and games with 10 or 15 rebounds, and that Dallas carries a responsibility to get him to the top of his range.
May’s comments came in studio at 105.3 The Fan on “K&C Masterpiece,” on the day the Mavericks announced the station as their flagship radio home.
Flagg won Rookie of the Year on April 27, averaging 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.2 steals in 70 games. He and Michael Jordan are the only rookies since 1973-74 to lead their teams in total points, rebounds, assists, and steals.
Flagg turns 20 in December.
May said the drive and the positional versatility are what set the ceiling.
“With Coop, it’s just continuing to add to his game,” May said. “There’s a real responsibility to make sure he becomes the absolute best he can be. And when you have the drive, the competitive spirit, and then the versatility as a player that he has, the sky’s the limit.”
“And to be 19 years old and to have all of this thrown at him like he has, it’s a real testament to his maturity and the people that surround him to keep him grounded, because he’s a normal guy,” May continued. “But at every level of basketball he’s impacted winning at the highest level, and so that’s what we expect him to do here, whatever the game requires.”
“I think he’s so unique,” May added. “He could get 10 assists, 15 assists. He could get 10 or 15 rebounds, and then obviously we all know he can score the ball in a number of ways. So it’s going to be fun to be a part of his journey.”
Cooper Flagg’s Rookie Season Set Several NBA Age Records
On April 3, Flagg scored 51 points in a loss to the Orlando Magic at American Airlines Center, becoming the youngest player in NBA history with a 50-point game. He had four 40-point games last season, the most by a rookie since Allen Iverson in 1996-97.
Voting was close. Flagg took 56 first-place votes and 412 points from a 100-member global media panel. Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel, his Duke teammate, finished with 44 first-place votes and 386 points. Philadelphia’s V.J. Edgecombe was third.
Flagg is the third Mavericks player to win the award, joining Jason Kidd in 1995 and Luka Dončić in 2019.
Dusty May On What Masai Ujiri And Mike Schmitz Have Said
May said the front office has treated Flagg as the settled part of the roster.
“Talking to Schmitz and Ujiri, they keep saying, hey, we have the guy,” the hosts put to May, framing the question around Masai Ujiri and general manager Mike Schmitz.
Ujiri was hired May 4. Dallas dismissed Kidd on May 19 and hired May on June 23, the day of the NBA draft. The Mavericks used the No. 9 pick that night on Morez Johnson Jr., who played for May at Michigan.
Dallas went 26-56 last season and ranked 27th in offense. The regular season opens Oct. 21 at Houston at 7:30 p.m. CT.
