Cooper Flagg finished with 10 points, six rebounds, and four assists in his Summer League debut, leading the Dallas Mavericks to a 87-85 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Flagg shot 5-of-21 from the field and went 0-5 from three.
“I would say that might be one of the worst games of my life,” said Flagg after the game. “We got the win, so that’s what really matters to me.”
The Mavs primarily used Flagg as a point guard to challenge him to expand his game.
“He’s going to have some mistakes,” said Jason Kidd on Flagg’s debut. ‘We all did. We all threw it in the stands once in a while. But I think just his poise as an 18-year-old is incredible.”
Flagg, who struggled in the half court, scored all but one of his buckets in transition.
Bronny James, who guarded Flagg on multiple possessions, was impressed by the rookie.
“He’s great,” said James. “I mean, I watched him all in college and he’s an amazing player. I have the utmost respect for him. He’s going to be something special.”
Flagg added that he was looking forward to improving his game despite the struggles.
“Shots weren’t falling, but that’s going to happen,” Flagg said. “It’s going to be nights like that. It is somewhat new to me. I haven’t probably taken that many shots before, so that’s somewhat new. I’m going to try and figure it out.”