Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg had a game for the ages on Friday night against the Orlando Magic, putting up 51 points, 24 of them coming in the fourth quarter. He was efficient from the floor and from three, was still productive on defense, and completely controlled the game.
It may have come in a losing effort, but having the most points in a game by a teenager in NBA history, and being one of just 10 rookies ever with a 50-point game, is one heck of a statement to make in the middle of a Rookie of the Year race.
NBA.com’s Rookie Ladder still has Flagg second behind Kon Knueppel, as did ESPN’s latest straw poll, and while those were before this game, Flagg is going to make it as competitive a race as he can. He sounded off on the race after the game.
“It is what it is. For me, like I’ve said before, it’s just about getting better every single day. I know what I’m capable of, and what I can do. So for me, it’s always been about just improving every night, going out there, competing, being the player that I know I can be, and I’ll let all of the rest of the stuff figure it out.
“I’m not sure [if it helps the Rookie of the Year argument]. I would hope it would help, but like I said, I’m not gonna worry about that, worry about just getting better every single night and trying to look at a big picture and start building toward something.”