The Mavericks Are Up To Something Dangerous

The Mavericks Are Up To Something Dangerous

Las Vegas, July 10th, 2025. Cooper Flag and the Summer League Mavericks would face off against Bronny James and the Summer League Lakers. The NBA could have had Cooper Flags debut be against another top lottery talent. But come on, you know that the league wasn’t missing out on a chance to crank up the hype machine. They went full bleacher report on us, setting flags debut against Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers. A squad that didn’t even have a single firstrounder this year and whose lone pick from this year isn’t even clear to play right now. At least for me, there’s something about watching the talent that came out this year that just hits so much harder. This event was a hilarious flex by the league, but you can’t argue with the hype. The buzz was off the charts, rivaling any summer league showdown that we’ve ever seen. Just look at these prices. Vivid Seats reported that by Tuesday before tip off, the cheapest ticket was running for $85. And if you really wanted to live large courtsite at the Michelobra deck, we’re talking about a staggering $3,073. Look, I love the NBA draft and the electric atmosphere of summer league basketball, but there isn’t the universe out there where I’m dropping three grand for summer hoops. Again, all of this speaks to just how much hype was behind this matchup. But before we go any further, if you guys are enjoying the content, then be sure to drop a like, subscribe, and turn on notifications so that you never miss out on any of this content for this Summer League clash under the bright Vegas lights. The Lakers rolled out a lineup featuring Cole Swider, Dalton Connect, DJ Stewart, Darius Basley, and the highly anticipated Bronny James. But all eyes were glued to the Mavericks, who countered with Ryan Nimhard, Miles Kelly, Maxwell Lewis, Jrian Sharp, and the man that everybody came to see, Cooper Flag. Why did people want to see Cooper Flag so badly? Well, in college, he was sort of ridiculous. 8.4 win shares, 497 field goals in 37 games, 19.2 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game, and 4.2 assists per game. On offense, Flag is basketball’s ultimate multi-tool player. Deep range daggers, rim rattling drives, silky mid-range pull-ups, footwork, heavy post moves, and dimedropping vision. Duke used him as one of their offensive anchors. His mere presence would bend defenses and create open looks. But in college, when this guy got out in transition, it was lights out. That full steam ahead downhill burst reminiscent of Giannis had defenders better off stepping out of the way rather than ending up on a poster. You’d assume that somebody with this offensive arsenal would ease up defensively, but no chance. Opposing teams wish that he would, but instead flag attack defense with equal intensity, versatility, and ferocity. Slicing through passing lanes, blocking up ball handlers, and swatting shots into the stands. I love a wing that can protect the rim. And Flag does just that. 2.8 stocks per game. That’s 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals per game for Flag. Flag was an absolute powerhouse. easily the top forward in all of college basketball. And if we’re talking the past decade, only one other forward comes to mind as being in his league as purely a prospect. That guy is Zion Williamson, who was also lighting it up at Duke. As dominant as Flag was at the forward spot in college, the Mavericks see something even bigger in his future. They envision him running the show as a jumbosized playmaker, much like Luca Donic did for Dallas. because I don’t look at the position, you know, I I want to put him in the at the point guard. I want to make him uncomfortable um and see how he reacts. Um being able to run the show, um being able to play the two, play the three. He’s he’s comfortable playing that. Um but we want to push. Um and I think uh he he’s going to respond in a positive way. Um it’s all right to fail. Who better to lead this experiment than the mad scientist Jason Kid himself? The same man who once took a young raw Janisante Takmpo and shocked everyone by giving him point guard reps. At a time where nobody knew what Giannis would become, Kid trusted his instincts and put the ball in his hands. Here are Kid’s own words recalling that moment that he saw the potential that Giannis had firsthand. Giannis gets a rebound and then he brings it down court and then he makes a pass and that’s when the light bulb went off in my head. I think he can be a point guard. In Cooper Flag’s summer league debut, everybody got to see firsthand what all the buzz was about, especially with him taking the keys as the Mav’s primary ball handler. He had a few electric flashes that brought us back to his Duke days, like his very first bucket going coast to coast for the powerful slam. Then moments later, he clamps down defensively, brings in the rebound, calmly brings it up the floor, and smoothly elevates over connect, which you guys know that’s going to be butter to keep him in front. And here’s Flag on the break, punching it home. Got enough handle to take it on the break himself. Flag using the selfch checkout line for the bucket. I’ve gone through selfch checkckout lines hundreds of times. And let me tell you that it’s never as smooth as what Cooper Flag pulled off right there. Those flashes were special. But beyond those highlight moments, Flag had a tough time finding his flow. And look, you can have your opinions about Bronny James and the circumstances that landed him in LA. But give credit where it’s due. Bronny’s defense is no joke. Even as a smaller guard, he was in Flag’s grill all night, constantly forcing him into tough looks and making him earn every bucket. Cooper Flag kept it real postgame when he said that if teams are going to put a smaller guard on me, I’ve got to go out and try to take advantage of the mismatch and size advantage. It wasn’t more than that, but it was fun. I felt the energy. It was fun. Flag called this game the worst game of his life. The mindset was there, no doubt, but some good defense was played on him, but even so, he missed a lot of shots that he usually makes. Flag finished the game with just 10 points on a tough five of 21 from the floor. Although he did fill out the stat sheet with six rebounds, four assists, and three steals. I foresee a world where Cooper Flag ends up posting some of the stupidest stat lines that we’ve ever seen, especially if Kid drops him at point guard or uses him as a primary ball handler. His aggression in transition, getting into the lane, and at the rim were all worth the price of admission alone. His passing also popped to me. We saw a lot of highlevel reads. Is there any part of his game that’s better than yours? No. A year ago when he was just trying to survive out there, that’s not Jake Laorabia. So, the Lakers feel like they’re going to be much better than they were. Dallas for the lead. I’m buying the vision of Cooper Flag running the show at point guard. Luca, you might have to watch out. Bronny had a chance to win this game for the Lakers. No dice. Mav’s win. Although Flag struggled. Despite Cooper’s struggles, Jason Kid knew exactly what he was doing, throwing him into the fire to face some early adversity. Flag had to be comfortable being uncomfortable, just like Kid It wanted. The question for me was clear. How would Flag respond after facing some early adversity? Especially going head-to-head against Wimy’s newest co-stars, this year’s 14th overall pick, Carter Bryant, and the number two overall pick, Dylan Harper. We got that matchup that I was requesting earlier. And in it, Flag silenced the few doubters that he had. In this game, he was aggressive, improved his shot selection, and some of those very same shots that refused to fall in his summer league debut, they finally started hitting the bottom of the net. And man, was it nice to see. Flag walks into the three and he laces it. Even Flag was relieved to see some of these jump shots go in. Look at the relief on his face here. If I were him, I’d be relieved, too, because that jumper from Flag right there, that’s a billiondoll shot. If he starts regularly dancing off of screens and cashing in smooth pull-ups like this one in the NBA, the floor suddenly gets a whole lot wider. Not just for him, but for the entire Maverick squad. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a strong shooter, but an even better slasher. So teams are going to be going under on screens early on. If he’s hitting those shots, good luck trying to figure out how to guard him. I remember folks throwing around Andre Karoleno comparisons for Flag, but honestly, those always felt off to me with the offensive firepower that he’s got in his bag. To me, he’s more of a Jason Tatum mixed with a splash of Giannis. Now, I know that sounds wild, but I’m telling you, that’s a basketball recipe that I’m absolutely here for. And let’s not lose sight of this. My guy Cooper Flag was the youngest player in his entire draft class. He’s literally just 18. The upside is borderline ridiculous. And we caught a clear glimpse of it when he shook off the rust and dropped a cool 31 points on 10 of 21 shooting, three of nine from deep while snatching four boards against the Spurs. So, the Mavericks have decided to shut down Cooper Flag for the remainder of the NBA summer league. So, the next time that we see him, we’ll be on an actual NBA court. I know. I was pretty disappointed about that news, too. With the Mavs injury luck, it’s probably for the best. With Kyrie sideline to start the year and D’Angelo Russell pretty much being the only trusted playmaker on the roster, Flag should have plenty of chances to call the shots and run the offense early on. Now, we just recently talked about how scary the Blazers defense could look in my Young Hansen video, but hold up a minute. What about these Mavericks? Do you think their defensive ceiling might actually be better than Portland’s this season? And if so, by how much are we talking here? Let me know your thoughts on everything down in the comments below. Anyways, there’s some more going on in the basketball world that we have to be covering. So, clicking one of the videos that’s on the screen right now is a great way to support this channel. I’m Get Coupe bringing you guys the scoop. Until our next upload. [Music]

Jason Kidd is getting ready to go full Dr. Doofenshmirtz and I couldn’t be more jealous.

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