I haven't watched. I don't know. But, is Cooper Flagg dog shit compared to his hype?

[ImKobe]

Haha, no. He flopped with 18 seconds left and it resulted in a turnover because he didn't get the whistle and it cost the Mavs the game. Cheater's justice.

With Kyle Kuzma of all people defending him. Kyle ****ing Kuzma.

Kuzma finally got comfortable in Milwaukee, his defense been good and he lit the Mavs up. Lakers had the best defense in the league the year Bron & AD both had injuries and Kuz played big minutes he's not as bad as some people make him out to be, just was stuck playing for a poverty franchise for years. Him and Giannis aren't an ideal fit but he's finding his spots.

[BarberSchool]

I cought a lot of flak, for saying it was gonna be hard for Flagg to live up to his hype. He’s a tall 6’8” / short 6’9” without top tier skills offensively. All the defensive hype over his shot blocking would come more into play if he grew more.

[Im Still Ballin]

Last 5 games:

- 32.9 mpg
- 17.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 4.0 apg, 2.2 spg, 1.2 bpg, 2.6 topg
- 54.9% 2PT, 26.1% 3PT, 52.2% TS

Last 3 games:

- 34.1 mpg
- 18.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 5.3 apg, 2.3 spg, 1.0 bpg, 3.0 topg
- 54.8% 2PT, 28.6% 3PT, 52.8% TS

Rim protection numbers have been good on the season. Those are good numbers for a wing.

Within 6ft: 6.8 DFGA, 51.9 DFG% (-7.9 percentage points below)

[Im Still Ballin]

Maybe Cooper's most flawless game yet. Had 2 points at halftime, was barely featured, largely in the corner. Came out and had a great second half & OT.

- 21 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 0 turnovers
- 9-16 FG, 1-3 3PT, 2-3 FT

[Im Still Ballin]

Last 4 games: 19.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.8 spg, 1.3 bpg, 2.3 topg on 59.0% TS. He's really bullying his way to the paint & rim on drives. 65.9% 2PT on 10.3 2pa/g. Just needs that three-point shot he displayed at Duke to come around, and you've got the super-high floor he was advertised as.

[Yes or No]

How's his defense? Because from a statistical point of view it seems like he needs to be the "man" on a team and can't be relegated to a second or third option. Again, he's a rookie though.

[k0kakw0rld]

It's a little premature to judge a #1 pick based on what? 12-13 games into the season. People act like LeBron didnt have games below double digits in his rookie season. Chill the **** out.

[Xiao Yao You]

It's a little premature to judge a #1 pick based on what? 12-13 games into the season. People act like LeBron didnt have games below double digits in his rookie season. Chill the **** out.

Either a star or a bust no in between regardless of how old or experienced you are!

[ImKobe]

It's a little premature to judge a #1 pick based on what? 12-13 games into the season. People act like LeBron didnt have games below double digits in his rookie season. Chill the **** out.

It's also tough because they're in this weird spot. They tried to make him play point but it didn't really work, and now he's standing in the corner for a lot of the game. Mavs want to be a contender but the stars are injured and they're desperate to hold on until AD and Kyrie get healthy to make a run. It worked out for Tatum in Boston as Irving's injury gave him the chance to take on a bigger role and the team was perfect for him. The Mavs are in a cluster**** right now.

[Im Still Ballin]

- 32 mpg
- 29 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers
- 12-19 FG, 12-15 2PT, 0-4 3PT, 5-6 FT

Always wait for the official NBA Japan YouTube channel highlights. They're the GOAT!

[Im Still Ballin]

Most promising is Cooper's downhill paint scoring. He's shot 43/63 on 2PT FGs over the last 6 games. That's 68.3% 2PT on 10.5 2pa/g. And most of that is unassisted (off-the-dribble) and in the half-court setting. 18/24 in the restricted area (RA), with a 61.1% unassisted rate. 19/26 in the non-RA paint, with a 68.4% unassisted rate. 6/13 on mid-range 2PT shots outside of the paint, with a 66.7% unassisted rate.

He looks to have a real touch in that non-RA paint area. His strong frame, great balance, quick two-footed leaping, and soft touch give me confidence that this is a real strength of his ability. He could be a real rim-pressure bull when he adds 15-20+ lbs and gets up to 240-245+. I can't think of any wing comparisons in this regard. Something between LBJ or a wing-sized Giannis, but off two feet. Like a taller, skinnier, less powerful Barkley.

[Im Still Ballin]

Some more stats:

Season

- 16 games played; 33.6 mpg
- 16.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.7 bpg, 2.2 topg
- 27.4% 3PT (3.9 3pa/g), 54.8% 2PT (9.7 2pa/g), 78.8% FT (3.3 fta/g), 54.6% TS

- 11/28 on pull-up threes (39.3% on 1.8 3pa/g)
- 13/40 on pull-up twos (32.5% on 2.5 2pa/g)
- 6/34 on catch-and-shoot threes (17.6% on 2.1 3pa/g)
- 3/3 on catch-and-shoot twos (100% on 0.2 2pa/g)
- 165 drives (10.3/g), 53/87 FG (60.9% on 5.4 2pa/g), 17/22 FT (77.3% on 1.4 fta/g), 126 points (7.9 ppg), 9 assists (0.6 apg), 10 turnovers (0.6 topg), 1.18 ppp (scoring only/no passes)

Last 6 games

- 6 games played; 35.5 mpg
- 20.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.5 spg, 0.8 bpg, 2.0 topg
- 28.0% 3PT (4.2 3pa/g), 68.3% 2PT (10.5 2pa/g), 61.5% FT (4.3 fta/g), 61.8% TS

- 5/11 on pull-up threes (45.5% on 1.8 3pa/g)
- 7/16 on pull-up twos (43.8% on 2.7 2pa/g)
- 2/14 on catch-and-shoot threes (14.3% on 2.3 3pa/g)
- 3/3 on catch-and-shoot twos (100% on 0.5 2pa/g)
- 60 drives (10.0/g), 28/34 FG (82.4% on 5.7 2pa/g), 5/10 FT (50.0% on 1.7 fta/g), 63 points (10.5 ppg), 3 assists (0.5 apg), 3 turnovers (0.5 topg), 1.52 ppp (scoring only/no passes)

Brandon Williams is at 0.89 ppp on drives, while D'Angelo is at 1.08. Naji also at 1.08. So, Cooper's already the best driver (1.18), and it's only getting more apparent over time. Might as well run things through him at the top of the three-point line, ala LeBron. It's statistically the best offense right now and ideal for long-term development.

Cooper's biggest issue right now is spot-up shooting. That's what's largely tanking his 3PT% and TS%. Kon Kneuppel and Cedric Coward have been lights-out on catch-and-shoot threes:

Kon: 37.5% 3PT on 6.9 attempts
Cedric: 42.4% 3PT on 4.1 attempts
Cooper: 17.6% 3PT on 2.1 attempts

If Cooper had made 8 more catch-and-shoot threes, he'd be shooting 41.2% on 2.1 attempts, and he'd be averaging 17.9 ppg and 59.6% TS on the season.

[Im Still Ballin]

Crazy broad frame. He was making fully-developed pros like Deni (6'9", 240) and Jerami (?) look narrow. He's going to be an absolute bull with 15 to 20+ pounds of added size and strength from a few offseasons of NBA-level strength & conditioning.

[tontoz]

Flagg will be fine but the current situation in Dallas sucks. Poor spacing and a lack of ball handling.

[Im Still Ballin]

Not much to talk about recently with two mediocre games. Tonight's performance is worth talking about, though: 13 points (5/11 FG), 7 rebounds, 11 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover. By far his best playmaking game to date.