{"id":694428,"date":"2026-04-02T18:54:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T18:54:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/694428\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T18:54:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T18:54:22","slug":"nba-news-mavericks-cooper-flagg-says-his-rookie-season-being-mentally-taxing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/694428\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA news: Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg says his rookie season being ‘mentally taxing’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Cooper Flagg’s<\/a> first season in the NBA has not gone as planned and the rookie admitted it\u2019s been tough.<\/p>\n

Flagg, 19, has had considerable personal success this season and is in contention for the NBA\u2019s Rookie of the Year award. However, the Dallas Mavericks<\/a> are 24-52 and nowhere near playoff contention.<\/p>\n

“Obviously, it\u2019s been tough. Like you said, you know, through high school, college, I mean, I only lost four games last year. So there have been times of the season where it\u2019s been, you know, really mentally taxing on me,” Flagg said during a recent appearance on ESPN\u2019s “The Pat McAfee Show.”<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"Cooper <\/p>\n

Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg controls the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Dallas, Texas, on Monday, March 30, 2026. (Gareth Patterson\/AP Photo)<\/p>\n

Anthony Davis<\/a> played just 20 games with the Mavericks before sustaining a hand injury and he was eventually traded to the Washington Wizards. Star point guard Kyrie Irving tore his ACL last season and has not played this season.<\/p>\n

Flagg hopes he can look back at the tough times and say he learned from them.<\/p>\n

GRIZZLIES’ BRANDON CLARKE ARRESTED ON DRUG TRAFFICKING, SPEEDING CHARGES IN ARKANSAS<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Cooper <\/p>\n

Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg drives against Bucks guard AJ Green in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Jeffrey Phelps\/AP Photo)<\/p>\n

“Just not having success that I would\u2019ve hoped for, and obviously, we\u2019ve had a lot of injuries and a lot of unfortunate things happen throughout the year. It\u2019s obviously not been ideal. I\u2019ve had growth along the way, and I\u2019ve had to get better and learn on the fly, but definitely not the start I would\u2019ve looked for. Hopefully, eventually I\u2019ll be able to look back on it and know that I was able to learn a lot from it,” Flagg said.<\/p>\n

Flagg said he was thrown into the fire more than he expected, but added it\u2019s helped him develop and become more confident and comfortable.<\/p>\n

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\"Cooper <\/p>\n

Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg drives against Bucks guard AJ Green in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Jeffrey Phelps\/AP Photo)<\/p>\n

In 64 games, the Newport, Maine, native has averaged 20.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals and nearly one block per game.<\/p>\n

Flagg\u2019s rookie season will continue when the Mavericks play the Orlando Magic<\/a> (40-36) on Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n

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Ryan Canfield is a digital production assistant for Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n