MACAO — Kyrie Irving said Thursday that Cooper Flagg put up numbers as a rookie that only Michael Jordan had reached, praising the confidence the Dallas Mavericks forward carries everywhere he goes.
Flagg joined Jordan as the only rookies to lead their team in total points, rebounds, assists, and steals since the NBA began tracking steals in 1973-74. He finished with 1,473 points, 466 rebounds, 316 assists, and 84 steals in 70 games.
The two have not played a game together. Irving missed all of 2025-26 after tearing his left ACL, and Mavericks coach Dusty May said Thursday that Irving will play in one of the two NBA China Games against the Houston Rockets at The Venetian Arena.
Kyrie Irving Says Cooper Flagg’s Success Is ‘All Real’
Irving spent last season rehabbing while Flagg, at 19, became the second-youngest Rookie of the Year in NBA history. What stood out to Irving was how quickly Flagg adapted.
“He just has a confidence that he carries with him everywhere he goes. To be as young as he is and to be as experienced just so quickly or be adaptable so quickly, it was amazing to see,” Irving said. “He’s a rookie coming in and putting up stats that only Michael Jordan was reaching. It’s no gas. It’s all real. It’s all facts with that kid.”
Flagg scored 51 points against Orlando on April 3, making him the youngest player in NBA history to score 50 in a game. He also became the first rookie with four 40-point games since 1996-97.
Irving Looks Forward To ‘Growing’ With Flagg
Irving is looking beyond what Flagg already accomplished. He wants to see how their partnership develops once they finally share the floor in games.
“I’m looking forward to growing with him and seeing how his development happens over the next few years,” Irving said.
The two have shared the floor in practice since camp opened Sept. 26.
Flagg Says Irving Is Already Making Game Easier
Flagg has studied how Irving slows a defense down, and he says the attention Irving draws has already made his own looks easier.
“I think just his pace, the way he’s able to slow down and really manipulate the defense and get to his spots,” Flagg said. “It’s been really fun to watch and fun to play with as well. Just the gravity that he commands has gotten me a lot of easier shots as well. So it’s been fun.”
Flagg averaged 4.5 assists as a rookie, second among first-year players. With Irving back, he expects Dallas to look different and the ball to move between more hands.
“It’s great. I think we have a lot of guys that can handle the ball. I think just with the way that we’re trying to play this year, we’ll look a lot different from last year,” Flagg explained. “Helping each other out to make it easier on everybody. And getting me and Kai live-ball catches in the half-court, I think is something that we’ve talked a lot about and I think can look really good for us. So I’m really excited, though, to be able to share the court with Kai. He’s obviously a special, special player.”
After Sunday’s game, the Mavericks return home for preseason games Oct. 14 and Oct. 16. The regular season opens Oct. 21 at Houston.
