Cooper Flagg is averaging eight assists per game over his last five outings.
The Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors were deadlocked at 126-126 with 10 seconds remaining in regulation Monday night inside American Airlines Center.
Both teams were looking to snap three-game losing streaks, but the weight of Dallas' 11-game home losing stretch was looming large.
No. 1 pick rookie Cooper Flagg, Dallas' leading scorer with 32 points in the game, drove hard into the paint and kicked out to Naji Marshall. His wide-open shot from the left wing would've given Flagg 10 assists and would've snapped the longest Mavs losing streak in the arena's almost 25-year history.
Flagg appeared to yell "Take me home!" in the direction of Marshall as the shot went up just before the buzzer.
The jumper was off the mark. The game went into overtime, and the Mavs lost 137-131 to fall to 23-49. The home losing streak now sits at 12, tied for the second-longest in franchise history from back to when games were held at now-demolished Reunion Arena in the 90s.
Flagg could've easily taken his defender one-on-one, forced up a contested game-winning attempt, and hardly a soul in the building would've disagreed with the decision.
Instead, the 19-year-old phenom made the right play. He drew in the defense with the dribble, found the open man, and made a crisp, on-target pass. To top it all off, Flagg's confidence in his teammate was evident with his yell of encouragement as Marshall tried to hit the game-winner.
"I think I could have probably had an okay look," Flagg told reporters about the sequence. "But hindsight — I looked to my left and saw Naji with nobody within 10 feet of him."
This moment - however insignificant to the season's outlook - is the epitome of Flagg's potential as a playmaker, and it's an example of just how well the rookie has grown in that department over the last month.
Furthermore, it's more reason to believe that Flagg is capable of being one of the best basketball players in the world very soon ... as if Mavs fans needed that reminder after watching what Flagg's done in his rookie season.
The former Duke star is averaging 20.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists while playing a team-high 33.8 minutes a night. Those can sometimes be exhausting minutes as he is the No. 1 option on the team that leads the league in these clutch-time scenarios.
But his numbers keep getting better.
Over his last 10 games, Flagg's assist average is up to 6.9 a game. He's averaging eight assists per game over his last five, to go with 23 points and six rebounds.
He's also the youngest player in the league, who was thrust into one of the toughest institutional environments in modern sports and is shouldering responsibility of providing the franchise hope amid one of its darkest eras.
It's why, as his stellar rookie season comes to a close, Flagg isn't just getting Rookie of the Year consideration; it's why he's being compared to the greats of the sport like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, who had similar seasons as teenagers.
"He’s slowing the game down. He’s reading the defense really well," Mavs wing Max Christie said of Flagg. "When he gets into his backdowns and his moves, he’s taking his time more — he’s not rushed. He’s still making the right play. That’s the first sign of growth."
Dallas coach Jason Kidd was quick to give the coveted rookie moments to shine with teh ball in his hands by starting Flagg at point guard, an unfamiliar position in an already unfamiliar league.
It wasn't the greatest decision in immediate retrospect, but we're now seeing the residual effects gradually come to light and be a benefit to Flagg's well-rounded development.
In this game against Golden State, Kidd especially noticed Flagg's decision-making making an impact.
"He was rolling," Kidd said. "We got the ball to him. I thought the execution carried over from that Clippers game—being able to make plays for others as much as Cooper was scoring. I thought he used his teammates well."
"It’s just been instilled in me since I was young," Flagg says about his play style. "For me, I like making the right play, the simple play."
We'll have to wait until next season to see just how much this part of Flagg's game dictates the Mavs winning games. But for now, his improving playmaking is something Mavs fans can marvel at, leading them to wonder just how good the kid can be ... and just how soon he'll get there.
