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The Athletic: Brian Scalabrine not surprised by Cooper Flagg's ascent: 'He's the same kid'
"His ability to play through contact is the same as when he was 14," Scalabrine said of the Mavericks' 19-year-old rookie.
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DALLAS — Wanting to test his young pupil’s mettle, Matt MacKenzie phoned a friend in New England.
MacKenzie, a basketball trainer from Maine, reached out to Brian Scalabrine, the ex-NBA player turned color commentator for the Boston Celtics whose organized pickup games in Beantown were notoriously competitive. Several current and future Division I players participated in it.
Mavericks’ climb back to contention around Cooper Flagg might be shorter than you think
Prohibited from answering questions directly about an Anthony Davis trade to the Wizards that was not yet official, Mavs coach Jason Kidd made it clear that a team building around Cooper Flagg can have a bright future. And in the very near future, too.
Make no mistake, the best thing that Mavericks interim GM Mark Riccardi did in sending Davis to Washington in a multi-player deal before the league’s trade deadline was clear cap room. Get excited about the players at your own risk.
Three are in the final year of their deals so their future here is as “expiring contracts,” not role players. Guard A.J. Johnson might be a nice addition to the rotation as Max Christie was in the last Davis trade that was not so popular in these parts. And the picks Dallas receives should best be viewed as five second-rounders, given that, along with three true second-round picks, Dallas is getting Oklahoma City’s first in June (likely between 28 and 30) and a Golden State pick that is top-20 protected in 2030.
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Cooper Flagg Continues To Silence Doubters
Some people still doubt Flagg, but that’s getting more and more difficult.
There are apparently some people who still think that Cooper Flagg is the product of hype, the latest Great White Hope, but the facts on the court show how lazy that sort of thinking is.
Because Flagg is just killing it. These are some stats from the last three games:
Over his last 10 games, Flagg is getting 24 ppg, 7.5 rebounds and 4 assists. He’s shooting 50% too.
Lazy thinkers think it’s all media hype or entitlement, but Naji Marshall, who actually plays in the NBA and who is currently a Maverick, says he wants to play his entire career there because “I want to play with Cooper Flagg my whole motherf*****g career. That’s my dog, and he’s gonna create history. And to be part of that would be unbelievable.”
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