Almost every night that he plays, the primary focus will be on San Antonio Spurs extraterrestrial center Victor Wembanyama. The first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Wembanyama entered the league with more fanfare than any prospect since LeBron James. Like James, he’s also delivered, his mind-blowing feats already the stuff myths are made out of. All of that being said, Wembanyama was the side show in the 2025-26 season opener, even with 40 points. The main focus was on Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg, who was making his NBA debut after being selected first overall in the 2025 NBA Draft.
It hasn’t been long, but Flagg is undoubtedly the most highly-touted prospect since Wembanyama. The spotlight that’s on him is even brighter because he’s stepping into All-NBA point guard Luka Doncic‘s shoes as the face of the Mavs. In fact, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd saw fit to start him at point guard in the season opener, though his nominal position is forward.
Spurs’ Dylan Harper Outduels Mavs’ Cooper Flagg In NBA Debut
Flagg may have gotten the start but it was Dylan Harper who had the last laugh.
Not only did the Spurs make mincemeat out the Mavericks, defeating them by 33 points (125-92), but the 2025 No. 2 pick outdueled Flagg in their Lone Star showdown. Coming off the bench, the 19-year-old recorded 15 points, four rebounds and two assists in 22.5 minutes. He missed his first four attempts but shot 50.0% from the floor (7-14), even going 1-2 from 3. Importantly, he scored both on-ball and off-ball. He did turn the rock over four times, two of which were by way of bad passes, and he had five personal fouls. However, he performed well, especially for it to be his first NBA game that counts.
Dylan Harper tonight
• 15 points
• 4 rebounds
• 2 assists
• 7/14 FG
• 23 minutes played pic.twitter.com/CUqA2X2Aqu— Bala (@BalaPattySZN) October 23, 2025
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On the other side of the fence was Flagg, who ended the game with a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double.
In a vacuum, that’s impressive. That impression is buoyed by the fact he’s the second-youngest player to make their NBA debut, behind James. Yet, unable to shake free of Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, Flagg went 4-13 from the field (0-1 from 3). In fact, he didn’t score his first points until the second half. The only player he consistently scored against was second-string center Luke Kornet. He started at point guard, perhaps in Dallas’s effort to recreate the Doncic experience. Yet, he recorded no assists and had the ball stolen from him three times. On top of that, he was a team-worst -29.
That’s hardly what was expected of the projected Rookie of the Year.
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