The Dallas Mavericks aren’t winning many games, but the emergence of rookie Cooper Flagg has put the NBA world on notice and the future in Dallas is bright less than a season after franchise player Luka Doncic was traded to Los Angeles in a swap that rocked the world and eventually led to General Manager Nico Harrison’s inevitable firing earlier this season.
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Despite all of the backlash and calls for his job, Harrison knew the golden nugget in that Doncic trade was Duke rookie Flagg if they could nab the No.1 pick. Whether you believe it was luck, destiny or pre-ordained, Dallas hit the jackpot and selected Flagg to launch a new era. The Mavericks are 12th out of 15 teams in the Western Conference with a 10-17 record. However, Flagg’s game has exploded after a slow start where Mavs coach Jason Kidd had him playing out of position at point guard.
Cooper Flagg’s 42-Points Against Utah Is A NBA For 18-Year-Old, Surpassing LeBron’s 37
In Dallas’ 140-133 overtime loss to Utah on Monday, Flagg scored the most points ever by an 18-year-old in an NBA game. His 42 points (seven rebounds and six assists) surpassed the previous record of 37 set by LeBron James in 2003.
Flagg has scored 20 or more points in five of his past seven games, and he is averaging 25.7 points per game during the stretch. The rookie was proud of his accomplishment, but the loss tempered his enthusiasm, telling reporters, “Obviously, we didn’t win. So, it’s tough for me to want to be happy or any of that. But obviously, it’s a success.”
Cooper Flagg Becomes Third Teenager In NBA History To Record 40 Points, 5 Rebounds, 5 Assists In Game
Flagg’s coming out party put him in rarified air as a teenager, joining legends Kevin Durant and James. The No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft was lauded with the usual hype descriptions coming out of Duke. Some said he was “generational” and others called the 6-foot-9 multi-faceted baby baller, who’s just turning 19 on Dec. 21, the next great White hooper.
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The greatest one birthed on American soil, since Larry Bird. Who knew it would be a kid from Newport, Maine of all places? Bird put French Lick, Indiana on the map. Flagg is doing the same for his hometown, which is not considered a basketball breeding ground.
Fans Are Now Saying Former GM Was Right To Trade Luka, Draft Cooper
Flagg’s impact as a brand and the interest fans immediately take in his career was obvious dating back to one season at Duke. Now he’s actually living up to his potential, averaging 18.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game, elevating him to the top of the Rookie of the Year conversation.
Fans are talking.
“The fans who claimed he would be a bust have been real quiet of late.” said one Flagg fan.
“That boi really is the White LeBron. This draft class looking like 2003 and 1996 best draft classes ever,” added another excited fan.
“18 years old Cooper Flagg is better than 18 years old Michael Jordan,” one Flagg supporter exclaimed.
“I’m starting to like to watch this guy,” said one hoops fan on Facebook. “Better than Luka. This guy was a smooth criminal. Kyrie not even back yet. What if Nico was right.”
Cooper Flagg Is Much Younger, More Versatile Than Luka Doncic
Harrison was fired by the Dallas Mavericks after a disappointing 3-8 start to the 2025-26 NBA season. The decision followed his highly scrutinized decision to trade superstar Luka Dončić last season, which came a little more than a year after Harrison received a contract extension.
Fans lost their minds and Harrison, who fell on the sword and accepted all of the blame for trading Luka away, used the popular phrase, “Defense wins championships” which most perceived as a knock on the scoring machine’s lack of a defensive prowess.
Assistant GMs Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi took over on an interim basis. Harrison was roasted on social media by fans who believed that he woke up one day on his own and decided to trade the NBA’s current scoring leader (34.7 points per game) because he’s inept.
So after the dust cleared and things fell into place for everybody, it was basically trading away a one-dimensional superstar for the No. 1 overall pick; a much younger and versatile player, who also has a strong defensive backbone and is getting buckets as a rookie on a compromised team during a very tumultuous season. The stroke of luck has fans re-assessing their emotion-driven treatment of the talented GM.
Was Nico Harrison Just A Fall Guy For Ownership?
Back in November of 2025, as Mavs fans still hurt by the Doncic trade celebrated Harrison’s dismissal, Rob Parker said Harrison was just the fall guy, taking responsibility for decisions that ownership made about parting ways with Luka.
“This was the same general manager who led his team to the NBA Finals in 2024,” ‘The Odd Couple’ host ranted. “He is being used as a scapegoat. He traded Luka Doncic not because he wanted to trade him but because ownership didn’t want to pay him. Those are the facts.”
“It ain’t like he’s got the team he put together,” Parker continued. “If he had that team together and they were 3-11 (that’s different) …AD’s hurt, Kyrie’s hurt. Cooper Flagg, out of position.”
If Flagg continues to develop at this rate and fans continue to galvanize behind his rise, putting him in conversations with the all-time greats before he’s ever played 30 NBA games, then that energy for Flagg can’t do anything but boost Harrison’s decision to trade Luka. this would also change the negative narrative that drove Harrison out of town just two seasons after going to the NBA finals.
That’s why in sports they play the entire game and don’t award anyone a trophy until the final tick on the clock. Did The Mavericks panic by firing Nico? Maybe that’s just how ownership always planned it.
