Mavericks entrust rookie Cooper Flagg with clutch decisions, his immediate impact defying his youthful age and building opponent respect.
PHILADELPHIA — Cooper Flagg will take the floor Saturday night knowing it is the last time he will do so as an 18-year-old, a quiet marker tucked inside a December road game that nonetheless reflects how quickly his NBA life has accelerated.
The Dallas Mavericks have not treated Flagg like a player waiting his turn. They have placed him in the middle of games that swing late, trusted him with decisions that determine outcomes, and watched him respond with a calm that belies his age.
Through 27 games this season, Flagg is averaging 18.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Over his last eight games, those numbers have surged to 25.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists as Dallas has gone 6-2 and leaned more heavily on him in closing stretches.
That trust, according to coach Jason Kidd, has been built intentionally — and patiently.
“Two things, time and strength,” Kidd said. “And we can’t speed up time and we can’t speed up strength. He’ll be 19. Those are two things, time and strength. As he gets stronger, the sky’s the limit. And time, just absorbing all the different situations, going through winning and losing.”
Those situations have arrived early. Detroit’s decision Thursday night to deny Flagg the ball late in what became a 116-114 overtime victory for Dallas was not lost on Kidd, who saw it as a reflection of how opponents already view the rookie. Flagg finished with a 23-point, 10-rebound double-double while adding four assists, one steal, and three blocks.
“That’s respect,” Kidd said. “They knew we were going to him with the success he’s had late. Someone else has to step up.”
Even when defenses load up, Kidd said Flagg has shown an advanced understanding of how to respond.
“We talked about it before the game, about him in the red zone understanding how to find a way — either scoring it or making a play,” Kidd said. “He did that tonight coming down the stretch. We got him the ball, he scores, and then he makes a heck of a play going right with the bounce pass to AD for an easy two. Again, we talk about it every day — understanding winning situations. He has stepped up every time.”
Kidd has pointed repeatedly to Flagg’s fearlessness as the trait that allows those lessons to stick.
“That’s pretty cool for an 18-year-old that’s going to be 19,” Kidd said. “He studies the game, understands what he’s trying to do late (in the) game. He’s fearless.”
The physical demands of the league have been Flagg’s steepest adjustment, something both player and coach openly acknowledge. Against Detroit, Kidd warned him what was coming.
“We told him it was going to be physical,” Kidd said. “Detroit is a team on both ends that’s going to be physical. He got hit a couple times, but when you have the ball, you’ve got to be strong with it. For him, it’s going to be about time and strength. Once he gets those two things, the sky’s the limit.”
Flagg agreed that the game pushed him as much as any he has played so far.
“Yeah, I think so,” Flagg said. “They’re a physical team. We knew that coming in… if you’re not physical back, they’re going to punish you. I tried to raise my level of physicality.”
When Detroit sent two defenders at him late, Flagg said the reads were clear.
“If they’re going to put two on me, I’ve always got to make the right play,” he said. “Obviously it’s pretty cool that they took me away when I was hot down the stretch, but finding Klay and getting a good look is what was best for our team.”
That maturity has stood out to Kidd, who believes missed shots and hard lessons are as important as makes.
“The shot at Duke, he said he’d take that shot again,” Kidd said. “He’s not afraid. He missed it. But that will show he’s going to be a great one, because great ones always have missed shots, but they always want to take it.”
Saturday’s game comes against the Philadelphia 76ers, who are coming off a 116-107 win over the Knicks and are led by Tyrese Maxey. Philadelphia played Friday without Joel Embiid and Kelly Oubre Jr., adding uncertainty to the matchup.
Dallas arrives with questions of its own, but the broader lens remains on Flagg. By Sunday, he will be 19, already entrusted with responsibilities most players wait years to earn.
Kidd, half-joking, half-projecting, summed up the long view.
“He’ll be 19 in a couple days, and we’re very fortunate to have him,” Kidd said. “We’ll treasure him at 18 and 19 all the way until he’s 55 — because he’ll probably retire at 55.”
For now, Flagg has one more night at 18 — and one more opportunity to show why the calendar already feels irrelevant.