The Denver Nuggets are gearing up to face the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night, and while there are some notable injuries on both sides, all eyes will be on a handful of star players.
Of course, on Denver’s side, they will be leaning on Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, while the Mavericks are lucky to have Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg both available for just the seventh time this season. Flagg, especially, is under a ton of pressure with the injuries that the Mavericks are dealing with, as the weight of the team has fallen on the 18-year-old’s shoulders.
Ahead of Monday’s matchup, Nuggets head coach David Adelman was asked what his impression of Flagg has been so far, and he spoke about the immense pressure that he is under.
“I mean, what we thought he would be. Probably, the expectations were way too high. To have the
injuries and have the ball in your hand immediately was probably not the plan. Not to mention, with
Kyrie [Irving] being out, I can’t imagine how good he’s going to be when he plays with a full, healthy
team,” Adelman said.
Nov 28, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) drives to the basket in the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Nuggets have to prep for Flagg
It is not often that a team’s game plan is centered around an opposing rookie, but that is exactly how the Nuggets have to treat Flagg ahead of Monday’s matchup. The 18-year-old is averaging 16.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.4 steals per game this season, making a big impact on both sides of the ball.
CAREER-HIGH NIGHT FOR NO. 1 PICK COOPER FLAGG 🔥
35 PTS | 8 REB pic.twitter.com/a2pEDAbvuC
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 30, 2025
Flagg is coming off a career-best 35-point performance in the Mavericks’ last win, as the first-overall pick is getting more comfortable in Dallas. The Mavericks are just 6-15 on the season, but Adelman thinks they will be much better when healthy, especially centered around Flagg.
“I think their team is extremely underrated when healthy. I think they’re going to be one of the better defensive teams in our league, and when you have Kyrie that can score the way he does and Cooper that can be this multi-faceted player that he already is at 18 years old. The future is so bright for him,” Adelman continued. “The thing I like the most about him, the nights I’ve watched him casually when we weren’t preparing for them, he just plays so hard. He competes every night.”
The Nuggets could certainly have trouble on Monday night containing both Flagg and Davis, but Adelman seems prepared for his team to face off against the talented rookie.
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