The rise of Cooper Flagg has continued to be a dominant narrative through the month of December, as the No. 1 overall is now separating himself in the Rookie of the Year conversation. The former Duke star is quickly becoming one of the best young players in basketball, proving that in his most recent game.
On Tuesday night, the Dallas Mavericks took down the title-contending Denver Nuggets in a thrilling 131-130 win. Flagg led the game with an incredible 33 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, a steal and a block. Anthony Davis backed him up with 31 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals in 36 minutes.
Flagg was noticeably better from beyond the arc, knocking down four of six three-pointers attempted. He has become an extremely aggressive scorer, but this game saw the 19-year-old get slightly out of his comfort zone in terms of range. He thrived.
Flagg is now averaging 24.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.3 blocks, and a steal per game in December, while his season numbers have increased to 19.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals on 48.7% shooting from the field.
The rookie is also one of two teenagers to record at least 33 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in a game. The other is former Mavericks star Luka Doncic, who did so on January 27, 2019, against the Toronto Raptors. Doncic recorded 35 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a 123-120 loss.
Flagg has been in competition with former Duke teammate and current Charlotte Hornets star Kon Knueppel for the Rookie of the Year award. Knueppel was the clear favorite before the start of the month, but Flagg has exploded for some unbelievable performances in December, leading to him now being the favorite and frontrunner in the latest rookie ladder.
Dallas is now 12-19, sitting one spot behind the final seed in the Play-In Tournament. There is still a shot that the Mavericks sneak into the postseason, but trade rumors have continued to grow louder regarding Davis, Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving.
The organization could embrace Flagg and fellow rookie Ryan Nembhard, targeting more draft capital on top of its 2026 first-round pick. The Mavericks at least have the foundation to build for the future, given Flagg turned 19 just a few days ago. He is still incredibly young but also showing more superstar potential by the day.