Former Duke Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg has received a hilarious take amid a tremendous month of December.
It was rough sailing for former Duke Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg over his first month with the Dallas Mavericks, but recently, the young forward is displaying why the Mavericks took him with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft to begin with.
In the month of December, Flagg is averaging 24.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists over 35.6 minutes per game on 53.7/36.4/80.3 shooting splits, good for a true-shooting percentage of 61.5 percent.
Flagg has scored less than 20 points only three times in 12 games this month, and he topped out at 42 points during an overtime loss to the Utah Jazz back on Dec. 15.
In the midst of Flagg's rampage, Tim MacMahon of ESPN delivered a hilarious take on the 19-year-old in a recent episode of The Hoop Collective podcast.
“He looks like a kid. He doesn’t play young," MacMahon said. "The mustache and goatee don’t connect. He still has to use little pimple patches and stuff. Wait until this kid gets some hair on his chest; he’s going to be scary.”
It seems relatively safe to say that he is already getting to a point where he is scary.
Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg. Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images.Heading into the NBA, Flagg was viewed as a generational talent, especially because of his tremendous ability defensively. His perimeter shot, however, was viewed as a weakness that needed significant work.
Well, Flagg definitely struggled with his three-point shot in October and November, shooting 26.7 percent and 25 percent those two months, respectively, but he has absolutely taken a major turn for the better in December.
Of course, Flagg is still a work in progress. His jumper isn't the prettiest, and it lacks consistency. But again, he's a kid, and he has ample room to grow.
The fact that the Duke product is already flashing this much potential is incredible and bodes very well for the future.
Flagg spent one season with the Blue Devils last year, registering 19.2 points, 7.5 boards and 4.2 assists a night. He even drew comparisons to Kevin Garnett because of his versatility, and he was the consensus best player in the 2025 draft class.
As expected, Flagg has gone through some growing pains, but he is making significant progress and could already be on his way to stardom.