‘Better Than Giannis’: Evan Turner Puts Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg Ahead Of Heat’s Giannis Antetokounmpo
DALLAS — Former NBA guard Evan Turner said Cooper Flagg is better than Giannis Antetokounmpo after watching the two put up matching 29-point, 11-assist performances in Miami on Oct. 26.
Turner made the comparison on Sports Illustrated’s Open Floor show, in an episode posted to the show’s YouTube channel. In the game he was describing, the Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat 113-109 at Kaseya Center. The loss dropped Miami to 0-4, its first 0-4 start since 2008-09.
Flagg had missed the previous game with a left shoulder injury. Back in the lineup, he finished with 29 points, 6 rebounds, 11 assists, 5 steals, and 3 blocks in 40 minutes, shooting 12-of-23 from the field and 2-of-8 from three-point range.
Antetokounmpo had 29 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists. It was his first triple-double since Milwaukee traded him to Miami on July 6.
Evan Turner On Cooper Flagg’s Night In Miami
Turner said Flagg was setting up teammates on a night he could have scored far more himself. Flagg’s 11 assists went to six different Mavericks.
“Hey, I was skeptical, bro, but Cooper… He could have had 40-something,” Turner said. “He literally was getting his guys in like that. Hey, that’s a bad boy, bro.”
“When I saw it, I said, man, he is better than Giannis,” Turner continued. “And Giannis is in old-school attack mode. And Cooper was on some chill ‘I know how to win’ type. Like, did you feel that? He was almost like, ‘Wait, I know how to win.’”
“He literally turned it on, and he was going at Wiggins, then taking it into the paint on Giannis,” Turner added. “Like, he was being nice that night. He should have had a 40-point triple. That boy is cold. He’s here.”
Twelve of Flagg’s points came in the fourth quarter. Dallas led by two with 31 seconds left when Andrew Wiggins took a three-pointer that would have put Miami ahead. Flagg blocked it. After a timeout, he drove for a layup that put Dallas up four with 10 seconds left.
Antetokounmpo scored 13 points in the third quarter, when Miami took an 84-83 lead into the final period. The Heat went 14-of-25 at the free-throw line.
Turner hedged before his final comparison, inviting a correction. Flagg was 19 years and 309 days old on the night of the game, 12 years younger than Antetokounmpo.
“It looked like, correct me if I’m wrong, it looked like he was hooping with his little bros,” Turner explained. “Like, it looked like he was hooping on a smaller rim.”
Turner’s Past Posts About Giannis Antetokounmpo And Flagg’s Start
Turner has aimed posts at Antetokounmpo on X before. On Sept. 13, 2023, after Antetokounmpo said on the 48 Minutes podcast that he does not work out with active NBA players, Turner wrote, “Ain’t nobody coming to Milwaukee to workout wit you and your brother.”
Antetokounmpo scored a franchise-record 64 points against Indiana on Dec. 13, 2023, and the night ended with him confronting the Pacers over the game ball. Turner responded on X, “S/o to Giannis for setting a career record in points and goofiness.”
Turner spent three seasons at Ohio State before Philadelphia made him the second overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. He played 10 NBA seasons and made his final appearances with Atlanta in 2019-20. His career averages were 9.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists.
Dallas took Flagg first overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, and he won Rookie of the Year last season. Two nights after Miami, he had 26 points and 8 assists in a 120-96 win over Oklahoma City. On Oct. 30, he scored 33 points on 13-of-19 shooting in a 116-111 win over Houston.
Through five games, Flagg is averaging 26.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 6.6 assists while shooting 55.7% from the field. Dallas is 4-2 and has won three straight in its first season under Mavericks coach Dusty May.
The Mavericks host the winless Sacramento Kings on Monday at American Airlines Center, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. CT.
