DHJ Quick Take

Mental Toll: Appearing on the Pat McAfee Show, Cooper Flagg admitted the transition from winning at Duke to a 24-52 season with the Dallas Mavericks has been “mentally taxing.”

Historic Pace: Despite the team’s struggles, Flagg is averaging 20.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists, joining LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Luka Dončić, and Carmelo Anthony as the only teenagers to average 20+ PPG.

Organizational Shift: After a season defined by the dismissal of Nico Harrison and the trade of Anthony Davis, Dallas is banking on Flagg’s “learning on the fly” to anchor the franchise’s future.

DALLAS — Cooper Flagg has been one of the most productive rookies in recent NBA history. He will be the first to tell you that he has not made this year easy.

The Dallas Mavericks rookie reflected on the psychological weight of his first NBA season during Wednesday’s appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show,” acknowledging that the team’s losing record has been a burden he is still learning to carry.

“Obviously, it’s been tough,” Flagg said. “I only lost four games last year [at Duke]. There’s been times through the season where it’s been mentally taxing on me, not having success that I would’ve hoped for.”

It is a candid admission from a 19-year-old who entered the league as the No. 1 overall pick with enormous expectations and almost no experience with losing. At Duke, Flagg was 35-4. In Dallas, he has had to recalibrate what success looks like nightly.

The Mavericks own a 24-52 record and will miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

Cooper Flagg Has Brought Historic Production Amid Turmoil

The losing has not been for lack of effort or production from Flagg. In 64 games, he is averaging 20.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists while shooting 46.7 percent from the field and 81.2 percent from the free-throw line. He is one of five teenagers in NBA history to average at least 20 points in a season, joining Carmelo Anthony, Luka Dončić, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James, and he remains in a tight Rookie of the Year race with Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel.

Still, individual milestones have done little to offset the frustration of a season that unraveled almost from the start.

Dallas entered 2025-26 believing it had a roster capable of competing immediately. With Kyrie Irving expected to return from an ACL injury, Anthony Davis anchoring the frontcourt, and Flagg stepping into a central role, the organization saw a path to winning now. That vision never materialized. The Mavericks stumbled early, general manager Nico Harrison was dismissed amid fan pressure, and injuries to Davis and Irving prevented the team from ever establishing a consistent rotation.

Dallas Mavericks Make Full Pivot Toward the Future

Flagg absorbed much of the organizational instability as the primary ball-handler in a read-and-react system that accelerated his development while costing the team in the win-loss column.

By the trade deadline, Dallas moved Davis for expiring contracts, signaling a full pivot toward draft positioning rather than a late playoff push.

“Obviously, we’ve had a lot of injuries and unfortunate things happen throughout the year,” Flagg said. “It’s obviously not been ideal, but I’ve had growth along the way, and I’ve had to get better and learn on the fly. It’s definitely not the start I would’ve looked for, but hopefully I’ll be able to look back on it and know that I was able to learn a lot from it.”

That perspective matters for a franchise that does not control its first-round picks for five years beyond 2026. The Mavericks are betting heavily that what Flagg is absorbing this season, including how to compete and lead through losing, will pay dividends once the roster catches up around him.

Six games remain in his rookie year.