DHJ Quick Take: Cooper Flagg\u2019s Shooting Display<\/p>\n
The Breakout: Cooper Flagg\u2019s 51-point performance against Orlando was a tactical pivot, not just a scoring outburst. By hitting a career-high six threes, Flagg dismantled the \u201cpack the paint\u201d blueprint defenses have used against him all season.<\/p>\n
The Tech: Only 10% of Flagg\u2019s attempts this season have come off the catch. Thursday showed a shift toward aggression, with Flagg hunting pull-up threes to punish defenders who sagged to protect the rim.<\/p>\n
The Vet Influence: The arrival of Khris Middleton has accelerated Flagg\u2019s perimeter patience. The two have focused on \u201cspot identification,\u201d allowing Flagg to spend less energy \u201cbanging\u201d inside and more time attacking mismatches.<\/p>\n
The Quote: Mark Cuban told Dallas Hoops Journal that if Flagg keeps improving from deep, he will be \u201cunstoppable,\u201d while Jason Kidd noted the shot\u2019s importance in reducing the physical \u201cwear and tear\u201d on the rookie\u2019s body.<\/p>\n
The Outlook: With five games left, Flagg\u2019s 29.3% season average from deep is secondary to the confidence shown in the 4th quarter. The NBA\u2019s defensive blueprint for Flagg just became significantly more complicated.<\/p>\n
DALLAS \u2014 Defenses have had a plan for Cooper Flagg<\/a> all season when they face the Dallas Mavericks<\/a>. Put the best defender on him, load up against the drive, and make him beat you from the perimeter. <\/p>\n On Thursday night at American Airlines Center, the strategy fell apart.<\/p>\n Flagg pulled up from the top of the key again and again against the Orlando Magic, firing nine three-point attempts \u2014 nearly double his previous single-game high \u2014 and making six. He finished with 51 points. More than the number, though, it was the manner that mattered. Every time Orlando dared him to shoot, he shot. When a defender sagged to protect the rim, Flagg stopped, rose, and fired. The game plan that had been containing him all season became the thing that undid them.<\/p>\n What Thursday revealed is not just that Flagg can make threes. It is what happens to the rest of his game when defenses have to respect that he will.<\/p>\n The Defensive Math<\/p>\n Flagg has operated this season as one of the most physically dominant drivers in the rookie class, with 51.6% of his attempts coming within 10 feet of the basket at a 58.9% clip. He is averaging 20.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists across 65 games while commanding the opposing team\u2019s best defender virtually every night he has taken the floor.<\/p>\n But defenses have had a margin. When a team can pack the paint without consequence \u2014 without worrying that Flagg will pull up or step back and punish them from 25 feet \u2014 the calculus tips in their favor. Klay Thompson<\/a>, who has spent over a decade on the other side of that calculus as one of the most feared shooters in NBA history, understands precisely what changes when that margin disappears.<\/p>\n \u201cJust his ability to get there and rise up,\u201d Thompson told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a> when asked what already separates Flagg as a scorer. \u201cAt 6\u20199\u2033, with that play style, that\u2019s going to be a staple of his game for the rest of his career.\u201d<\/p>\n That ability is already there. It exists against defenses that are still comfortable loading up because they have not yet been forced to honor his range. The moment they do, the lanes Flagg already navigates so well open further. The pull-up he already gets to at 30.4% becomes available at higher quality looks. The catch-and-shoot opportunities he has been passing up \u2014 only 10% of his attempts this season have come off the catch \u2014 become decisions he no longer has to second-guess.<\/p>\n Mark Cuban, who watched Thursday\u2019s performance from afar, went straight to that point when he shared his reaction with Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a>. The importance of perimeter shooting is well established throughout the organization with significant excitement for his long-term potential. <\/p>\n \u201cInsane. So much fun to watch,\u201d Cuban told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a>. \u201cIf Coop keeps improving from three so teams have to play up on him, he will be unstoppable.\u201d<\/p>\n Where the Work Has Been Happening<\/p>\n The shot Flagg used most Thursday \u2014 the pull-up three \u2014 is one he has been developing with deliberate intention since Khris Middleton<\/a> arrived via trade at the deadline. The two share the pregame floor most nights, and the philosophy Middleton has built his career on \u2014 patience, reading the defender, knowing when to go and when to hold \u2014 has seeped into Flagg\u2019s approach from the perimeter in ways that showed up against Orlando.<\/p>\n Jason Kidd<\/a> traced the specific instruction as far back as mid-March, when Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a> asked him about Flagg\u2019s developmental priorities with roughly 15 games left.<\/p>\n \u201cTake the three when it presents itself, when you\u2019re open,\u201d Kidd told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a> before a March 15 game in Cleveland. \u201cHe\u2019s comfortable shooting it off the dribble, but we want him to get a little better with catch-and-shoot threes \u2014 less energy spent, less banging. Health is the biggest thing. He plays hard, attacks, and gets hit a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n The health angle is not incidental. Flagg was assessed a flagrant foul by Desmond Bane<\/a> in the second quarter Thursday \u2014 one collision among the dozens he absorbs every game by driving into the teeth of defenses. A reliable three-point shot is not just an offensive upgrade. It is a way to hurt teams without paying the same physical toll possession after possession.<\/p>\n \u201cHe didn\u2019t hesitate. He was super aggressive,\u201d Kidd told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a> of Flagg\u2019s shooting Thursday. \u201cHe loves to drive, we all know that, but this is the next step. The attempts matter \u2014 you\u2019re going to make some and miss some. It also helps take some wear and tear off his body so he\u2019s not getting hit as much inside.\u201d<\/p>\n Middleton connected the same idea directly to what a consistent three-point threat would unlock.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce he starts letting it fly and knocking those shots down, it\u2019s going to open up so much more for him,\u201d Middleton told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a>. \u201cDefenses know once he gets to the paint, he\u2019s a handful to deal with. So once he gets a consistent three-ball like he\u2019s working on, it\u2019s going to make him even better.\u201d<\/p>\n Brandon Williams<\/a>, who has been in Flagg\u2019s ear about shooting all season, credited Middleton specifically for the progress in spot identification.<\/p>\n \u201cJust finding his spots on the floor \u2014 where he likes the ball,\u201d Williams told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a>. \u201cHe\u2019s picking his spots, knowing when to shoot, where to get it, and he\u2019s being more demanding. And Khris Middleton has done a great job trying to coach him, showing him how to get to those spots. Having a vet like that is huge.\u201d<\/p>\n The Support Around Cooper Flagg<\/p>\n The data is specific about where the reluctance has lived. Only 10% of Flagg\u2019s attempts this season have come off the catch \u2014 a remarkably low figure for a player whose size and positioning put him in catch-and-shoot situations regularly. His pull-up three at 1.9 attempts per game is already his primary long-range option, narrowly ahead of catch-and-shoot at 1.5. Both convert at similar rates, 30.4% and 28.3% respectively. While efficiency could be better, the priority right now is to get up more attempts. <\/p>\n Williams has been direct about it.<\/p>\n \u201cMe and P.J. were telling him to shoot the ball,\u201d Williams said. \u201cHe turns down a lot of them, but shooting the three is only going to open his game a lot more.\u201d<\/p>\n The reluctance traces back to who Flagg is as a player. He defers. He finds the open man. He would rather make the right play than the highlight play, even when those two things are the same.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a humble guy,\u201d Williams said. \u201cHe wants everybody to get touches. But when you\u2019ve got it rolling and you\u2019re 6\u201910\u201d and basically unguardable, you need to shoot the ball. We can\u2019t stress it enough to him.\u201d<\/p>\n What Thursday Proved<\/p>\n Against Orlando, Flagg stopped deferring. He fired from the top of the key in the fourth quarter of a game that had already been decided, not because the outcome was in doubt but because the shot was there and he took it. Thompson noticed.<\/p>\n \u201cI was proud of him, because people say that\u2019s the part of his game that needs to improve,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cBut at this time of year, even when you\u2019re eliminated from postseason contention, you\u2019ve still got work to do. He let it go and didn\u2019t care about the numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n Jamahl Mosley, who has now coached against Flagg twice and coached him during USA Basketball camp, saw the same thing from the opposing bench.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was coming off injury the last time we played him, so it wasn\u2019t as explosive early on,\u201d Mosley said. \u201cNow you see more explosion \u2014 popping up for jump shots, the three, coming down in transition aggressively. That\u2019s a lot for a young player, and he\u2019s doing a heck of a job.\u201d<\/p>\n Bane, who spent the night guarding Flagg and was hit with a flagrant foul in the second quarter, spoke to Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a> at Friday\u2019s shootaround.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he\u2019s got a great motor \u2014 great motor, great feel for the game,\u201d Bane told Dallas Hoops Journal<\/a>. \u201cThe sky\u2019s the limit for a kid like that.\u201d<\/p>\n Flagg, for his part, pointed to exactly the shot that has been the subject of every conversation around him this season.<\/p>\n