Grading Cooper Flagg's Summer League: How Mavericks' No. 1 pick fared in two games in Las Vegas

Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg wasn't on a minutes restriction during the NBA Summer League, but it does appear he was on a games restriction.

Flagg, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, will be shut down by his team after taking the floor twice in Las Vegas. The pre-draft hype around him proved to be real, as the 18-year-old electrified capacity crowds with several big moments in his two games.

With Dallas' decision to shelve its rookie star for the remainder of the summer, fans won't get their next glimpse of Flagg in a Mavs uniform until the preseason begins in early October. After passing his first test as a professional, the expectations will be even higher when the season rolls around.

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Before looking too far ahead to Flagg's future, let's take a look back to assess his two summer league performances.

Cooper Flagg Summer League grade

• Grade: B+
• Stats: 20.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.5 spg, 0.5 bpg, 1.5 TO/g, 35.7 FG%, 21.4 FG%

Flagg evidently showed enough in two games to warrant an early dismissal from any more summer league action. It makes sense once you take a closer look at what he accomplished.

Game 1 vs. Lakers

In his professional debut, Flagg turned in a performance that doubles as a reminder that the box score does not always tell the story.

MORE: Flagg, James put on a show in 2025 Las Vegas Summer League debuts

With the spotlight on the Mavericks' showdown with Bronny James and the Lakers, Flagg finished with 10 points (on 5-of-21 shooting), six rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal.

— NBA (@NBA) July 11, 2025

After, Flagg said his performance was "Not up to my standard," adding that "I didn't have my best game," but his fingerprints were all over the game. He grabbed boards, made plays on both sides of the ball and, as evidenced by his 21 shot attempts, was assertive.

Where some looked at the 21 attempts as a sign of a chucker, others noted it was a mark of persistence for a player who knows the team needs him to continue to look for his shot.

5/21, hell yeah. Get ‘em up, young fella. I appreciate that persistence

— Gilbert McGregor (@GilMcGregor_) July 11, 2025

Flagg is in a unique situation as a No. 1 pick because he is joining a team that expects to contend. He'll have a healthy diet of shot attempts to begin his career, but he will fall in line behind Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving when healthy.

Against L.A., Flagg wasn't forcing the issue and looked comfortable as a No. 1 option, a role Dallas can afford to ease him into. His activity on and off the ball is a reminder of how malleable and coachable he already is, and the sequence of a game-saving block into a game-winning assist sums up what makes him special in the eyes of coaches and scouts alike.

MORE: Full list of players for each team in the 2025 NBA Summer League

Game 2 vs Spurs

Game 2 for Flagg came with a gaudy stat line as he finished with 31 points (on 10-of-21 shooting), four rebounds, an assist and a block in a 76-69 loss to the Spurs. Yes, Flagg scored 31 of his team's 69 points.

As evidenced by his scoring total, this was a big game for Flagg on the offensive end. More than the fact that he scored, it was the tools he used to score.

Flagg was able to capitalize on straight-line drives, got out in transition and his shot looked fluid on catch-and-shoot 3s in addition to dribble pull-ups. The shot won't always fall like that, but he's already showing signs of improvement from the solid shooting he displayed during his lone season at Duke.

Dallas seems intent on progressively adding to Flagg's workload, something the franchise can afford to do given the pre-existing structure around him. Flagg's floor is already very high, but this summer league provided a look into what the ceiling might look like.

Because he showed enough in two games to get an honorable pull from the lineup, Flagg passes this summer rather easily. However, a two-game sample size isn't quite enough for a full-on A.

Final grade: B-plus

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