<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-jason-kidd-explains-cooper-flagg-point-guard-decision');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mavericks’ Jason Kidd explains why he played Cooper Flagg at point guard early in season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Mavericks-Jason-Kidd-explains-why-he-played-Cooper-Flagg-at-point-guard-early-in-season.jpg"></figure><h1>Mavericks’ Jason Kidd explains why he played Cooper Flagg at point guard early in season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-12T17:09:20-08:00">December 12th, 5:09pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-12T17:09:20-08:00">December 12th, 5:09pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Dallas Mavericks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>DALLAS — Early in the 2025-26 season, Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd surprised many by playing <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-dallas-officially-selects-cooper-flagg-2025-nba-draft">2025 No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg</a> at the point guard position. The results were far from ideal, as Flagg — who had primarily played forward previously — did not look especially comfortable at point guard.</p><p>Flagg has since been moved to forward and Ryan Nembhard is running the point. Still, Kidd clearly wanted to play Flagg at point guard for a reason early in the year.</p><p>So what led to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-cooper-flagg-point-guard-role">Kidd’s Flagg point guard decision</a>? What was the thinking behind the surprising move? While speaking to reporters before Friday’s game, Kidd explained the move.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jason Kidd provides an in-depth response when asked a question from Vince Carter. He explained the thinking behind starting Cooper Flagg at point guard. <a href="https://t.co/8SEDcvNgr4">pic.twitter.com/8SEDcvNgr4</a></p><p>— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeyMistretta_/status/1999632179509281008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“When you talk about Cooper, just giving him information to see how he digests it,” Kidd <a href="https://x.com/JoeyMistretta_/status/1999632179509281008" rel="noopener">told reporters</a>. “I know that wasn’t a popular thing, but having him at point guard is something he needed to do sooner than later, because some will flip it and say, ‘Why didn’t he do this sooner?’ As a coach, I’ll take the blame for that.</p><p>“But putting him in that position, understanding success is the last six minutes of the game, turns into the last three minutes, your best player’s gonna have the ball. Just understanding the game a little bit different than the others, I wanted to see him handle the ball sooner. Sometimes we fail, sometimes there’s success. But it doesn’t turn us from trying to get better at our job. That’s the way I look at it.”</p><p>Kidd wanted to give Flagg a challenge to see how he responded to the pressure. While Flagg’s results were not ideal, the Mavericks head coach was impressed by how the 18-year-old rookie handled the situation.</p><p>“I’m not always right, but I will fail with him because I want to see him become successful. From past experiences of giving others the ball, we’ve had success and failures,” Kidd continued. “So, this is an 18-year-old… playing against the best players in the world. I want to see how he handles it. I thought he did an incredible job.</p><p>“The numbers will say something different, but I think as time goes on… There is always a big picture, and sometimes in society we want the now. But in the long run, we’re playing the long game with him because of his age. We just want to hopefully be apart of that successful story. I think he can handle it. He’s shown that he can handle that.”</p><p>Flagg hasn’t complained either. He’s open to doing whatever he can to help the team.</p><p>“He’s never come to me and said he doesn’t want to do something,” Kidd added. “He’s open to ideas, and that’s kind of cool for a young man who has all this information that’s poured into him, to be able to tell him one thing, and he can deliver.”</p><p>Flagg and the Mavericks will look to earn a victory over the Nets on Friday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mavericks’ Jason Kidd explains why he played Cooper Flagg at point guard early in season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-cooper-flagg-crucial-injury-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg drops crucial injury update');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Cooper-Flagg-reacts-during-Mavericks-Thunder-game.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg drops crucial injury update</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-09T12:43:10-08:00">December 9th, 12:43pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-09T12:43:10-08:00">December 9th, 12:43pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Dallas Mavericks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>DALLAS — Cooper Flagg has consistently been listed on the Dallas Mavericks’ injury report with a right thumb splint over the past few weeks, but he’s been available for most of the games. In fact, Flagg has appeared in 24 of Dallas’ 25 contests this season. So, how is Flagg’s thumb injury recovery going? The fact that it’s still being mentioned on the injury report is notable, but it clearly isn’t serious enough to keep Flagg out of games.</p><p>“I feel healthy for sure, I’m good to go,” Flagg <a href="https://x.com/JoeyMistretta_/status/1998463525518213396" rel="noopener">told reporters</a> Tuesday. “With the amount of games we play, there’s always going to be nagging things. Obviously I’ve had stuff with my thumb going on, but I’m good to go. There’s always gonna be something you have to deal with.</p><p>“That’s just part of being mentally and physically tough, and just playing through some of that stuff.”</p><h2><b>Cooper Flagg’s injury concern hasn’t been an issue</b></h2><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-monster-cooper-flagg-slam-dunk-dallas-wild">Flagg is playing at a high level</a> in his rookie season. The 18-year-old is averaging 17.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals per outing. He’s also shooting 47.5 percent from the field.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-cooper-flagg-biggest-challenge-nba-career">Flagg has endured some ups and downs</a> — something that is to be expected for an 18-year-old rookie. The ceiling remains high for the 2025 No. 1 overall pick, though.</p><p>As for his thumb injury, the issue clearly isn’t something Dallas is too concerned with. Flagg has continued to play and the Mavs are currently in a stretch where their next game is not scheduled until Friday, giving Flagg plenty of time for rest and recovery.</p><p>Nevertheless, updates on his status will continue to be provided as they are made available.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg drops crucial injury update

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-cooper-flagg-biggest-challenge-nba-career');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg reveals his biggest challenge to begin NBA career');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Mavericks-Cooper-Flagg-reveals-his-biggest-challenge-to-begin-NBA-career.jpg"></figure><h1>Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg reveals his biggest challenge to begin NBA career</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-09T11:54:28-08:00">December 9th, 11:54am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-09T11:54:28-08:00">December 9th, 11:54am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Dallas Mavericks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>DALLAS — Dallas Mavericks rookie <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-monster-cooper-flagg-slam-dunk-dallas-wild">Cooper Flagg is already establishing himself as a star</a> in the NBA. Still, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-cooper-flagg-rocky-start-season">Flagg has dealt with challenges</a> at the highest level of professional basketball. While speaking to reporters on Tuesday after practice, Flagg <a href="https://x.com/JoeyMistretta_/status/1998456632569671745" rel="noopener">revealed the biggest challenge</a> so far in his NBA career.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Asked Cooper Flagg about how his game has grown in the NBA so far and the biggest challenge he’s faced at this level. <a href="https://t.co/srBrt8j3Ee">pic.twitter.com/srBrt8j3Ee</a></p><p>— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeyMistretta_/status/1998456632569671745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“Biggest challenge, I mean, I would say honestly just physically, just the amount of games that we’ve played,” Flagg told reporters. “You know, traveling a lot more… It’s just different. College, you know, you have so many days in between games and you get so much more rest. So, I’d say that’s been the biggest challenge.”</p><p>Flagg is only 18 years old. He was in high school just a couple of years ago. After spending last year with Duke basketball, Flagg is now playing professionally in the NBA. It makes sense that the schedule adjustment has been a challenge.</p><p>Nevertheless, the 2025 NBA Draft No. 1 overall pick is finding success, cementing himself as a Rookie of the Year candidate.</p><h2><b>How Cooper Flagg has improved early in NBA career</b></h2><p>It hasn’t been all obstacles for Flagg. He’s also displayed improvement at the NBA level, something he addressed on Tuesday as well.</p><p>“I think I’m just getting comfortable,” Flagg said of how his game has improved. “I think just growing, and learning the pace and speed of the game. Just getting comfortable with being myself out there, and kind of just picking apart defenses. And just knowing the game at a higher level.”</p><p>Mavs head coach Jason Kidd also commented on Flagg’s improvement. Kidd, of course, gets to watch Flagg on a consistent basis at practice and games, so he’s been able to closely monitor the rookie’s development.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Also asked Jason Kidd about Cooper Flagg’s growth as an NBA player early in his career. <a href="https://t.co/yc9fTgNmji">https://t.co/yc9fTgNmji</a> <a href="https://t.co/UZHfcyBS2w">pic.twitter.com/UZHfcyBS2w</a></p><p>— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeyMistretta_/status/1998462679334191406?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“I just think understanding back-to-backs, just a lot of basketball,” Kidd said of Flagg’s growth at the NBA level. “Understanding it’s a little bit different than college. Just his growth of being able to bounce back if he doesn’t have a great game. Just understanding the minutes, the physicality, just absorbing anything right now… The more he sees, I think, the better he will be.”</p><p>Cooper Flagg’s ceiling is extremely high. He has a legitimate opportunity to become a superstar.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg reveals his biggest challenge to begin NBA career

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-kevin-durant-shows-love-cooper-flagg-duel');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kevin Durant shows ‘love’ to Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg after generational duel');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Rockets-star-Kevin-Durant-vs-Mavericks-rookie-Cooper-Flagg.jpg"><figcaption>Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Kevin Durant shows ‘love’ to Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg after generational duel</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-07T05:33:36-08:00">December 7th, 5:33am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-07T05:33:36-08:00">December 7th, 5:33am</time><address><a>Yasmin Edañol</a>Yasmin D.G. Edañol is a PhD candidate in Chemistry at the University of the Philippines Diliman, with a background in scientific research and publishing. He brings a data-driven perspective to sports storytelling as an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints, with a focus on the NBA. Whether it's breaking down a clutch play or a stat line, he believes every great moment has a deeper layer waiting to be uncovered.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Dallas Mavericks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-mark-daigneault-reveals-how-held-anthony-davis-2-points-blowout-win">Dallas Mavericks needed answers after a rough stretch</a>, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-anthony-davis-out-dueled-kevin-durant-dallas-win-rockets">a wild night against the Houston Rockets</a> delivered something else instead: a generational duel between Kevin Durant and Cooper Flagg. The matchup gave fans Durant at full command, the Rockets pushing every possession, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-monster-cooper-flagg-slam-dunk-dallas-wild">Flagg rising with a slam dunk</a> that shifted the American Airline Arena’s energy. The Mavericks fought for control. But <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-amen-thompson-rejects-anthony-davis-block">the Rockets always chased them back</a>.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-amen-thompson-kevin-durant-best-player-ever">Kevin Durant entered the game fresh off his 31,000-point celebration</a>, and he played like it. Now in his 18th NBA season, he scored 27 points on 11-of-20 shooting, kept every rotation honest, and forced the Mavericks to adjust across long stretches. Yet Anthony Davis outdueled him on the glass and in the paint, finishing with 29 points on 14-of-19 shooting and eight rebounds in 30 minutes, tilting the battle inside. The game stayed tight at halftime at 57–57. Then the Mavericks exploded in the third, building a 17-point lead behind sharper spacing and cleaner defensive stands.</p><h2>Mavericks, Durant’s praise, and Flagg’s rise</h2><p>Cooper Flagg kept the Mavericks alive with his aggression, but one play stood out far more than anything in his box score. His drive, his elevation, the slam, a flash of what Dallas hopes becomes a foundation. And Durant <a href="https://x.com/ohnohedidnt24/status/1997524340489834568?s=20" rel="noopener">noticed</a>. “Just from watching his film he’s finally figuring it out… he can shoot the jump shot off the middy, he can shoot the 3, he can get to the rim. I love his game,” Durant said after the loss, offering the kind of praise that stamps a rising star.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kevin Durant on Cooper Flagg:</p><p>"Just from watching his film he's finally figuring it out…he can shoot the jump shot off the middy, he can shoot the 3, he can get to the rim. I love his game" <a href="https://t.co/dyUReIhISB">pic.twitter.com/dyUReIhISB</a></p><p>— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) <a href="https://twitter.com/ohnohedidnt24/status/1997524340489834568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Rockets tried to rally late, but the Mavericks held firm and closed out a needed win. Dallas climbed to 9–16, still 12th in the West but steadier after a chaotic stretch. The Rockets dropped to 15–6 but remains fourth, with the Los Angeles Clippers up next. The Mavericks draw the Brooklyn Nets.</p><p>If this is only the first chapter of Kevin Durant versus Cooper Flagg, how electric will their rematch be when the Rockets meet the Mavericks on Jan. 3?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kevin Durant shows ‘love’ to Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg after generational duel

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-monster-cooper-flagg-slam-dunk-dallas-wild');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg monster slam dunk has American Airlines Center going wild');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Mavericks-rookie-Cooper-Flagg-dunks-in-Rockets-game.jpg"><figcaption>Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg monster slam dunk has American Airlines Center going wild</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-07T05:03:58-08:00">December 7th, 5:03am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-07T05:03:58-08:00">December 7th, 5:03am</time><address><a>Yasmin Edañol</a>Yasmin D.G. Edañol is a PhD candidate in Chemistry at the University of the Philippines Diliman, with a background in scientific research and publishing. He brings a data-driven perspective to sports storytelling as an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints, with a focus on the NBA. Whether it's breaking down a clutch play or a stat line, he believes every great moment has a deeper layer waiting to be uncovered.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Dallas Mavericks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Dallas Mavericks needed a spark<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-what-anthony-davis-said-getting-shut-down-thunder"> after the lopsided loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder</a>, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-cooper-flagg-rocky-start-season">Cooper Flagg delivered it with force</a>. From the opening stretch, the rookie <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1997513120756179254" rel="noopener">rose to the moment</a> against the Houston Rockets, shifting the pace of the night and energizing the building. And when his slam dunk later stamped the exclamation point on the performance, what began as a tense Rockets matchup quickly turned into <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-kon-knueppel-rookie-of-the-month-honor-cooper-flagg">a showcase for Cooper Flagg’s rise</a> — the kind of night that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-anthony-davis-struggles-thunder-fans-worried">pushes a Mavericks fanbase to lean forward and believe</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">COOPER FLAGG THROWS IT DOWN WITH AUTHORITY 😤<a href="https://t.co/lfzZtmOw2i">pic.twitter.com/lfzZtmOw2i</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1997513120756179254?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>During the fourth quarter, with the Mavericks up 120–107, Brandon Williams fired a short pass from half court. Instantly, Flagg caught it in stride, tore in from the three-point line, and detonated at the rim. The monster slam dunk sent American Airlines Center into a <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1997522668502040957" rel="noopener">full roar</a>. In that instant, it felt like a statement, one made in the air, hanging above a Rockets defense that could only turn and look up. Ultimately, the No. 1 pick out of Duke finished with 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting, plus five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks in 36 sharp minutes.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Bring out ALL the angles of this EMPHATIC Cooper Flagg dunk 😤</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBA</a>) <a href="https://t.co/TnLXckjEa0">pic.twitter.com/TnLXckjEa0</a> <a href="https://t.co/7VY36ulBvE">https://t.co/7VY36ulBvE</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1997522668502040957?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2>A <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-anthony-davis-out-dueled-kevin-durant-dallas-win-rockets">breakthrough win for the Mavericks</a></h2><p>The Mavericks closed out a 122–109 win over the Rockets. They bounced back from the Thunder loss where Anthony Davis struggled with just two points. In contrast, the response tonight was cleaner. Sharper. More urgent. As a result, the Mavericks improved to 9–16 and still to No. 12 in the West. The Rockets slipped to 15–6 after entering the night with momentum from Kevin Durant’s celebration of his 31,000-point milestone.</p><p>Meanwhile, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-ryan-nembhard-gets-100-real-rookie-connection-cooper-flagg">Cooper Flagg’s progress is becoming impossible to ignore</a>. Through 24 regular-season games, he averages 17.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, and shoots 47.5 percent from the field. Week by week, his instincts sharpen. And with each rising cheer inside the arena, his confidence climbs even higher.</p><p>If this is how Cooper Flagg lifts the Mavericks in December, what happens when the lights get brighter? What happens when the games start to tighten? Kyrie Irving is still absent. But once he returns, could Flagg and the Mavericks flip the script and storm back into the race?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg monster slam dunk has American Airlines Center going wild

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-ryan-nembhard-gets-100-real-rookie-connection-cooper-flagg');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mavericks’ Ryan Nembhard gets 100% real on rookie connection with Cooper Flagg');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Nembhard-and-Flagg.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Mavericks’ Ryan Nembhard gets 100% real on rookie connection with Cooper Flagg</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-04T12:12:11-08:00">December 4th, 12:12pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-04T12:12:11-08:00">December 4th, 12:12pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Dallas Mavericks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Dallas Mavericks have started to hit a little bit of a stride of late, currently sitting at 8-15 after Wednesday night’s home win over the Miami Heat. That game was preceded by an impressive road victory over the Denver Nuggets, a game in which undrafted rookie <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-ryan-nembhard-makes-nba-history-with-insane-stat-line">Ryan Nembhard went for</a> 28 points and ten assists, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-cooper-flagg-rocky-start-season">fellow rookie Cooper Flagg</a> poured in 24 of his own.</p><p>Recently, Nembhard <a href="https://x.com/dallasmavs/status/1996640693822058983" rel="noopener">got 100% candid</a> on the rookie connection that he and Flagg share.</p><p>“I think we’re both just young guys experiencing the league, and dream of both of ours for a long time, and we’re experiencing it and going through it together, so we’ve got a lot of things where we can bounce ideas off of each other, and we just like to joke around and have fun, so it’s been real fun,” said Nembhard, per the Mavericks on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>Nembhard is the younger brother of Andrew Nembhard, who very nearly helped lead the Indiana Pacers to an NBA Finals win a season ago, and is looking like one of the steals of the undrafted class of this past year.</p><p>Meanwhile, Flagg is continuing to elevate his game seemingly on a nightly basis, and if his three-pointer begins to fall with a bit more consistency, he could enter the conversation as one of the best rookies the NBA has seen over the last decade-plus.</p><p>The Mavericks also recently got Anthony Davis back from injury, which no doubt has helped them put together some wins over the last week, and it shouldn’t be too much longer before Kyrie Irving is also back in the lineup, at which point Dallas may start to look like a legit playoff threat out West.</p><p>The only question will be if the hole they’ve already dug themselves at this point in the season will be too deep to overcome later on down the line.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mavericks’ Ryan Nembhard gets 100% real on rookie connection with Cooper Flagg

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-cooper-flagg-rocky-start-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cooper Flagg drops truth bomb on learning from Mavericks’ ‘rocky start’ to season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Cooper-Flagg-Ryan-Nembhard-Anthony-Davis-during-Heat-Mavericks-game.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Cooper Flagg drops truth bomb on learning from Mavericks’ ‘rocky start’ to season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-04T08:00:09-08:00">December 4th, 8:00am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-04T08:00:09-08:00">December 4th, 8:00am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Dallas Mavericks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks have suddenly earned three consecutive victories. Before the winning streak, though, the Mavs were among the worst teams in the NBA. They are still just 12th in the Western Conference standings with an 8-15 record, but the team is trending in a promising direction. Following Wednesday’s 118-108 win over the Miami Heat, Cooper Flagg <a href="https://x.com/JoeyMistretta_/status/1996607835317109138" rel="noopener">revealed how the team can learn</a> from their previous “rocky start” to the 2025-26 campaign.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Cooper Flagg on learning from the Mavericks’ “rocky start” to the season:</p><p>“Obviously it wasn’t the start we were looking for. I think it will give us a lot of gratitude moving forward if we can find success, and can think back to a really rocky start.” <a href="https://t.co/0lZFcQ7EZe">pic.twitter.com/0lZFcQ7EZe</a></p><p>— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeyMistretta_/status/1996607835317109138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“I think I learned a lot throughout that period,” Flagg told reporters. “As a team, I think we learned a lot as well. Obviously it wasn’t the start we were looking for… I think it will give us a lot of gratitude moving forward if we can find success, and can think back to a really rocky start. We learned a lot, I learned a lot personally. I think I grew a lot in that time period as well.</p><p>“Hopefully I’m going to continue to grow and keep getting better moving forward.”</p><p>The Mavs are playing an improved brand of basketball. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-ryan-nembhard-point-guard-luka-doncic-trade">Ryan Nembhard looks like the point guard of the future</a>. Klay Thompson is finding his rhythm from beyond the arc. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-cooper-flagg-better-feeling-anthony-davis-return">Anthony Davis is making a significant impact</a> following his return from injury.</p><p>Sure, the Mavericks may still be a year or two away from becoming a legitimate contender. With Kyrie Irving expected to return in early 2026, though, anything could happen. A roster with Flagg, Irving, Davis, Thompson and plenty of depth will be intriguing.</p><p>The Mavs are set for a big test on Friday against the best team in the league in the Oklahoma City Thunder, however. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:30 PM EST in Oklahoma City.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cooper Flagg drops truth bomb on learning from Mavericks’ ‘rocky start’ to season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-cooper-flagg-sign-young-fans-jerseys-win-heat');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg takes time to sign young fans’ jerseys after win over Heat');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Cooper-Flagg-on-Nov.-21-2025.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg takes time to sign young fans’ jerseys after win over Heat</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-04T02:12:06-08:00">December 4th, 2:12am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-04T02:12:06-08:00">December 4th, 2:12am</time><address><a>Abdullah Imran</a>Abdullah Imran works as an Associate Editor for All Sports at ClutchPoints. He’s been a sports fan his entire life and enjoys writing about every sport. He has spent three years in sports journalism and loves analyzing games. In his free time, he very much enjoys binge-watching shows and playing video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Dallas Mavericks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-ryan-nembhard-point-guard-luka-doncic-trade">Dallas Mavericks extended their first winning streak of the season to three games</a> with a 118-108 win against the Miami Heat on Wednesday night at the American Airlines Center. Rookie sensation Cooper Flagg led the way with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting, adding six rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block in 31 minutes of action. Interestingly, Flagg did not attempt a three-pointer and instead drove aggressively to the basket, earning five free throws.</p><p>The 18-year-old’s late-game magic closed the book on Miami’s comeback. As the Heat closed a 17-point second-half gap to just four points in the final three minutes, Flagg scored eight consecutive points with a turnaround jumper, a block, and a driving layup, drawing the line under the contest.</p><p>After the game, Flagg showcased his approachable demeanor by spending time <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1996435867800682772" rel="noopener">signing autographs for young fans</a> in the arena’s loading dock area.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Cooper Flagg taking time to sign autographs for young fans after the Mavericks' win over the Heat 📝</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeyMistretta_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoeyMistretta_</a>) <a href="https://t.co/Wk0QEIg48u">pic.twitter.com/Wk0QEIg48u</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1996435867800682772?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The No. 1 overall pick is now averaging 17.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 22 games this season, shooting 47.6% from the field and 25.6% from three-point range.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-cooper-flagg-better-feeling-anthony-davis-return">The 13-year veteran Anthony Davis backed up Flagg</a> on Wednesday with 17 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, one steal, and three blocks. The Mavericks are now 2-1 following his return from a 14-game absence due to a finger injury. The 10x All-Star played consecutive games for the first time since a month-long absence due to a left calf strain.</p><p>Klay Thompson contributed 17 points off the bench, making five three-pointers, while undrafted rookie Ryan Nembhard added 15 points and a season-high 13 assists, continuing his streak of four consecutive career-first starts.</p><p>Dallas’ roster has faced significant injury challenges this season, with Daniel Gafford, Derek Lively II, and Kyrie Irving all missing time. Still, the Mavericks stood their ground, letting defense bear the brunt of the battle. Dallas limited Miami, the NBA’s second-highest-scoring team, averaging 124 points per game, to 108 points, including just 14 in transition, while Dallas scored 19 fastbreak points. They also held Tyler Herro, who had 20 first-half points, scoreless after halftime.</p><p>Having improved to 8-15, the Mavericks face a daunting challenge on the road against Western Conference leaders, the 21-1 Oklahoma City Thunder, on Friday night.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg takes time to sign young fans’ jerseys after win over Heat

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-cooper-flagg-better-feeling-anthony-davis-return');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg reveals ‘so much better’ feeling after Anthony Davis’ return');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Cooper-Flagg.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg reveals ‘so much better’ feeling after Anthony Davis’ return</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-03T21:25:59-08:00">December 3rd, 9:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-03T21:36:14-08:00">December 3rd, 9:36pm</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a>Paolo Mariano is a freelance writer, editor, and producer based in Manila, Philippines. He is a journalism graduate from the University of Santo Tomas and the father of a young girl whose personality swings from Simone Biles to Dillon Brooks. A beacon of objectivity, he believes Penny Hardaway is the true NBA GOAT.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Dallas Mavericks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It seems like everything is right in the world again. Well, at least for Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/indiana-pacers/mavericks-news-ryan-nembhard-nba-history-heat">The Mavericks notched their third straight win</a> on Wednesday after beating the Miami Heat, 118-108, at American Airlines Center. Flagg led the scoring with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting. He also had six rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block.</p><p>Dallas is now 2-1 since Anthony Davis returned from a finger injury, which forced him to miss 14 games. The Mavericks went 3-11 in that stretch.</p><p>Now that he’s back, Flagg admitted that it feels <a href="https://twitter.com/joeymistretta_/status/1996432737570558418?s=46" rel="noopener">“so much better”</a> when Davis is on the floor, as reported by ClutchPoints’ Joey Mistretta.</p><p>“Obviously, the caliber of the player that he is. You know, I think just with him and Klay (Thompson) on the court at the same time, the amount of gravity those two guys have, pulling defenses toward them and creating space out there, it’s huge for me,” added the 18-year-old forward.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Cooper Flagg says it’s “so much better” for the Mavericks when Anthony Davis is on the floor <a href="https://t.co/Hxt4PlyoYn">pic.twitter.com/Hxt4PlyoYn</a></p><p>— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeyMistretta_/status/1996432737570558418?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Davis had 17 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, one steal, and three blocks against the Heat. Thompson, meanwhile, added 17 points, including five-three-pointers, off the bench. The Mavericks improved to 8-15.</p><p>Davis, a 10-time All-Star, has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career. Still, he remains a two-way force when he’s on the court.</p><p>The Mavericks have had an inconsistent roster this season due to injuries, with Davis, Thompson, Derek Lively II, Daniel Gafford, and Kyrie Irving all missing time.</p><p>They, however, have looked good in recent days, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-cooper-flagg-first-practice-klay-thompson-verdict">with Flagg getting more comfortable</a> as one of the focal points of their offense.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg reveals ‘so much better’ feeling after Anthony Davis’ return

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-jason-kidd-anthony-davis-impact-cooper-flagg');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mavericks’ Jason Kidd reveals Anthony Davis’ underlying impact on Cooper Flagg');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Mavericks-Jason-Kidd-reveals-Anthony-Davis-underlying-impact-on-Cooper-Flagg.jpg"></figure><h1>Mavericks’ Jason Kidd reveals Anthony Davis’ underlying impact on Cooper Flagg</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-03T16:56:58-08:00">December 3rd, 4:56pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-03T16:56:58-08:00">December 3rd, 4:56pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Dallas Mavericks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat are set to go head-to-head on Wednesday night in Dallas. Before the game, Jason Kidd revealed how Anthony Davis impacts Cooper Flagg while on the floor.</p><p>“You’re gonna have to put your best defender on someone, most of the time it’s AD,” Kidd told reporters. “So he (Flagg) gets the secondary defender. For him, it’s his ability to get to the paint, but also be able to play off AD. He doesn’t have to do everything like he did here early on where we’re asking him to point guard, score, and defend, and do everything which he’s not afraid of doing, but now he has some help.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/heat-news-anthony-davis-injury-report-heat">Davis is back in the starting lineup</a> after previously missing time with a calf injury. When healthy, AD is still the best player on the team. Flagg is only 18 years old and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-kyrie-irving-injury-update-nba-insider">Kyrie Irving likely won’t return until early 2026</a> as he recovers from ACL surgery.</p><p>Flagg has been the player opponents have been preparing especially carefully for over the past few weeks as Davis dealt with an injury, though. Now, with Davis back on the floor, the 18-year-old will get a secondary defender which could lead to an increase in his scoring.</p><h2><b>Heat’s Erik Spoelstra a fan of Mavericks stars</b></h2><p>Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra <a href="https://x.com/JoeyMistretta_/status/1996374707441213711" rel="noopener">was asked about</a> both Davis and Flagg before Wednesday’s Heat-Mavericks contest, and it’s safe to say he is a fan of both players’ games.</p><p>“I got to know him (Davis) with USA Basketball and I love him,” Spoelstra told reporters. “I just think he’s about the right things, he impacts winning, he’s a Hall of Fame talent… He plays the right way on both ends of the court. This team, despite their record, has been in a lot of really tough games, particularly here in Dallas.”</p><p>As for Flagg, Spoelstra <a href="https://x.com/JoeyMistretta_/status/1996373793837604875" rel="noopener">can’t “fathom”</a> what the 18-year-old is already accomplishing in the NBA.</p><p>“He (Flagg) just has a great maturity about him. He’s not even 19 years old,” Spoelstra said. “I just can’t fathom that… If I was 18 in his shoes, I would stat-hunt and not play the right way. He just has a great competitive spirit, plays the right way, competes to win. That’s an extremely hard thing to teach young players.”</p><p>The Mavs and Heat will play at 8:30 PM EST in Dallas on Wednesday night.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mavericks’ Jason Kidd reveals Anthony Davis’ underlying impact on Cooper Flagg

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-kon-knueppel-rookie-of-the-month-honor-cooper-flagg');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hornets’ Kon Knueppel discusses Rookie of the Month honor alongside Cooper Flagg');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Kon-Knuppel-attempts-a-shot.jpg"><figcaption>© Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hornets’ Kon Knueppel discusses Rookie of the Month honor alongside Cooper Flagg</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-03T12:14:39-08:00">December 3rd, 12:14pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-03T12:14:39-08:00">December 3rd, 12:14pm</time><address><a>RB Hayek</a>RB Hayek has been writing about sports for over a decade and is currently a member of ClutchPoints' editorial team after primarily focusing on betting content. In addition, he is also a published author of thriller novels, available on Amazon.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-rookie-power-rankings-kon-knueppel-leads-cooper-flagg-at-quarter-mark" rel="noopener">NBA Rookie of the Year battle between the Charlotte Hornets’ Kon Knueppel and the Dallas Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg</a> is heating up as the 2025-26 NBA season rages on. Now, he sat down on The Tonight Show to <a href="https://x.com/FallonTonight/status/1996088758433972342" rel="noopener">talk about being named</a> Rookie of the Month alongside Flagg, according to a post on X from The Tonight Show.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">.<a href="https://twitter.com/Kon2Knueppel?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Kon2Knueppel</a> reacts to winning <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBA</a>’s Rookie of the Month! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FallonTonight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FallonTonight</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAonNBC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAonNBC</a> <a href="https://t.co/wot7xQGnsi">pic.twitter.com/wot7xQGnsi</a></p><p>— The Tonight Show (@FallonTonight) <a href="https://twitter.com/FallonTonight/status/1996088758433972342?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Knueppel discussed how Flagg texted him that day, while acknowledging that it was great to be honored as Rookie of the Month. Significantly, Knueppel and Flagg were college roommates, and both are now competing for the same honor.<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-kon-knueppel-drawing-klay-thompson-devin-booker-comparisons"> Knueppel has drawn comparisons </a>to NBA veterans and stars for his outstanding play. So far, he is averaging 18.3 points per game while shooting 46.5 percent from the field, including 41.5 percent from beyond the arc. He is the third-best scorer on the Hornets right now.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/charlotte-hornets/hornets-news-reggie-miller-bold-claim-kon-knueppel-stephen-curry">Knueppel has even drawn praise from legends,</a> demonstrating how well he has played throughout this young NBA season. While the Hornets are still rebuilding, they have the budding young talent that can eventually turn this team around. The appearance on The Tonight Show was an indication of the rising star power of this rookie and what he could possibly become.</p><p>Knueppel has shared the spotlight with Flagg, who is flourishing over in Dallas, while also taking on more responsibility in the wake of injured stars. Currently, Flagg is averaging 17 points per game while shooting 46.6 percent from the hardwood, but 25.6 percent from the triples. With Kyrie Irving out until at least January, Flagg is the second-best scorer on a depleted Mavericks’ roster that has struggled to stay afloat.</p><p>Despite their teams’ records, Knueppel and Flagg have continued to shine individually and will certainly be an important part of the future. For now, Knueppel will continue to develop throughout the season and do everything he can to help his team succeed while also competing against someone he holds in high regard.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hornets’ Kon Knueppel discusses Rookie of the Month honor alongside Cooper Flagg

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-cooper-flagg-reveals-brutally-honest-opinion-clutch-situations');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg reveals his brutally honest opinion on clutch situations');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Mavericks-rookie-Cooper-Flagg.jpg"><figcaption>Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg reveals his brutally honest opinion on clutch situations</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-03T11:33:34-08:00">December 3rd, 11:33am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-03T11:33:34-08:00">December 3rd, 11:33am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Dallas Mavericks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As the Dallas Mavericks’ top prospect, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-cooper-flagg-rookie-history-not-seen-lebron-james" rel="noopener">Cooper Flagg continues to navigate his rookie season</a>, and he was brutally honest in his opinion about clutch situations. For Flagg, it isn’t ideal. Although the first overall pick understands how beneficial clutch moments can be, Cooper wasn’t afraid to admit <a href="https://twitter.com/DLLS_Mavs/status/1996267704391696871" rel="noopener">he doesn’t clutch moments</a>, he said, per DLLS Mavs’ X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>“I don’t like a lot about it,” Cooper said. “I’d rather not be in a lot of close games. I’d rather it’s not a really close game, coming down to the wire. But I think it’s good experiences for us. For us to be in those minutes. Just go through it as a team and have that experience. It’s all going to make us better in the end.”</p><p>With 1:20 left in the Mavericks’ 114-110 win against the Los Angeles Clippers, Flagg went a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line to help seal a four-point victory. He finished with a season-high 35 points, eight rebounds, and two assists.</p><h2><b>Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg reacts to 3-point shooting woes</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Mavericks-rookie-Cooper-Flagg-2.jpg"><figcaption>Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While he wasn’t afraid to admit clutch situations aren’t ideal, Mavs <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-cooper-flagg-reacts-recent-3-point-shooting-woes">rookie Cooper Flagg addressed his 3-point shot</a> and what he needs to improve it. Flagg is confident it’s a facet of his game that <a href="https://x.com/MikeACurtis2/status/1993734202664144919" rel="noopener">he can sharpen</a> throughout his rookie campaign, he said, per the Dallas Morning News’ Mike Curtis.</p><p>“It feels solid. Obviously, just gotta keep getting my legs underneath me &amp; being confident. I still believe in it. All the work I put in &amp; I know I can knock down shots. I’m confident it will come,” Flagg said. “I’m confident it will happen &amp; I’ll start hitting shots. All I can do is just keep taking them.”</p><p>Flagg is averaging 17.0 points on 46.6% shooting, including a 25.6% clip from deep, 6.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.4 steals per game this season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg reveals his brutally honest opinion on clutch situations

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/ncaa-basketball/duke-basketball-news-blue-devils-historic-cooper-flagg-kon-knueppel-flex');   ga('set', 'title', 'Duke Blue Devils makes historic Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel flex');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Duke-flexes-Cooper-Flagg-and-Kon-Knueppel.jpg"><figcaption>Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Duke Blue Devils makes historic Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel flex</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-02T21:26:37-08:00">December 2nd, 9:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-02T21:26:37-08:00">December 2nd, 9:26pm</time><address><a>Nukul Jashoria</a>Nukul Jashoria is a seasoned sports journalist and editor with over five years of experience in digital media, television, and public relations. Having worked across leading sports media platforms, he has covered NCAAF, the NFL, NCAAB, Soccer, WNBA and global sports with editorial precision and creative storytelling.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NCAA Basketball</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Former Duke standouts Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-news-cooper-flagg-kon-knueppel-make-league-history-rookie-honors">delivered a landmark moment for both the Blue Devils</a> and the NBA as a whole this week. On December 2, the NBA announced that the former teammates had been named Rookie of the Month in their <a href="https://x.com/DukeMBB/status/1996007129119850742">respective conferences</a>, marking the first time since the honor was introduced in 2001-02 that two former college teammates claimed both awards in the same month.</p><p>“1st school in history to sweep the NBA Rookie of the Month awards,” Duke Men’s Basketball posted on X, formerly Twitter.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">1st school in history to sweep the NBA Rookie of the Month awards 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀 <a href="https://t.co/QG0EM5krqh">pic.twitter.com/QG0EM5krqh</a></p><p>— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) <a href="https://twitter.com/DukeMBB/status/1996007129119850742?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Flagg, now with the Dallas Mavericks, captured the Western Conference honor after rewriting NBA history. The 18-year-old erupted for a career-best 35 points in a win over the Los Angeles Clippers, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-cooper-flagg-rookie-history-not-seen-lebron-james">becoming the youngest player ever to reach that mark</a>, a record previously held by superstar LeBron James, when he first hit 35 in 2003.</p><p>“I’ve got to be aggressive, and we’ll live with some of the mistakes, but you just have to be aggressive and trust all the work,” said Flagg during post-game press conference. “My teammates are extremely confident in me, and I feel that. And when they’re confident in me, it enables me to just be free up there.”</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Lgt6YsX6SM&amp;t=21s" rel="noopener">During the press conference, after the game</a>, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd praised the poise Flagg has displayed so early in his career.</p><p>“Just his composure on both ends. He competes at a very high level…He’s only 18 years old, but he seems like he’s been in this league before, he plays the game right way,” Kidd said.</p><p>Meanwhile, Kon Knueppel, now playing for the Charlotte Hornets, earned the Eastern Conference award on the strength of a blazing start. The 20-year-old <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-rookie-power-rankings-kon-knueppel-leads-cooper-flagg-at-quarter-mark">currently leads all rookies in scoring and ranks</a> among the league leaders in made threes.</p><p>As the NBA season deepens, the Blue Devils’ freshman phenoms are no longer simply promising rookies; they’re headlining the Rookie of the Year race and pushing each other toward even bigger stages. If their first month is any indication, Duke’s historic flex might just be the beginning of a season-long fight for supremacy between two franchise-changing talents.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Duke Blue Devils makes historic Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel flex

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/ncaa-basketball/duke-basketball-news-cameron-boozer-freshman-feat-cooper-flagg-never-reached');   ga('set', 'title', 'Duke’s Cameron Boozer achieves freshman feat Cooper Flagg never reached');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Duke-star-forward-Cameron-Boozer-is-amped-up-vs.-Florida.jpg"><figcaption>Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Duke’s Cameron Boozer achieves freshman feat Cooper Flagg never reached</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-02T20:25:26-08:00">December 2nd, 8:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-02T20:25:55-08:00">December 2nd, 8:25pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NCAA Basketball</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer has refrained from comparing Cameron Boozer to Cooper Flagg, but people will <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ncaa-basketball/duke-basketball-news-espn-cooper-flagg-cameron-boozer-comparison">inevitably juxtapose two star freshmen</a> who played for the Blue Devils just a year apart from one another. Well, on Tuesday, the future NBA Draft prospect accomplished something that not even the lauded Dallas Mavericks rookie did during his lone season in Durham.</p><p>Boozer scored 39 points on 10-of-21 shooting in a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ncaa-basketball/duke-basketball-news-blue-devils-florida-takedown-wild-reactions">67-66 home win versus Florida</a>, bringing him to <a href="https://x.com/ESPNInsights/status/1996055588501954620" rel="noopener">90 points across his last three contests</a>, That is the most ever by a Duke freshman in a three-game span, per the ESPN Insights X account. The 6-foot-9 forward also recorded six rebounds and was credited with the assist on Isaiah Evans’ go-ahead 3-pointer with just 21 seconds remaining on the clock. He is affecting the action in a variety of ways, and doing so with impressive efficiency.</p><p>During the aforementioned 90-point stretch, which also included superb showings against Howard and Arkansas, Boozer eclipsed 70 percent shooting from the field twice. He is leading <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ncaa-basketball/clutchpoints-mens-college-basketball-power-rankings-st-johns-continues-crumble">a dangerous Duke team</a> that is now 9-0 on the season. The roster boasts plenty of talent, but the phenom carries a hefty workload on a nightly basis.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">CAM'S BEEN COOKING 🍳 </p><p>Cameron Boozer has 90 points in his last three games, the most by a freshman in a three-game span in Duke history 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/u0o6pSP4gG">pic.twitter.com/u0o6pSP4gG</a></p><p>— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNInsights/status/1996055588501954620?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Like Flagg, Boozer is embracing the responsibilities that come with being the face of the Blue Devils. He does not look rattled by the pressure in the slightest. His father, two-time NBA All-Star and Duke alum Carlos Boozer, has surely prepared him for the spotlight. The 18-year-old will only draw more eyeballs as he continues to collect milestones in his first and presumably only Duke basketball season.</p><p>Beyond all the individual achievements, the thing that can really help Cameron Boozer stand out is a national championship. Scheyer’s squad will aim to stay perfect when it squares off with Michigan State (8-0) in East Lansing.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Duke’s Cameron Boozer achieves freshman feat Cooper Flagg never reached

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-rookie-power-rankings-kon-knueppel-leads-cooper-flagg-at-quarter-mark');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA Rookie Power Rankings: Kon Knueppel leads Cooper Flagg at quarter mark');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/NBA-Rookie-Power-Rankings-Kon-Knueppel-leads-Cooper-Flagg-at-quarter-mark.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA Rookie Power Rankings: Kon Knueppel leads Cooper Flagg at quarter mark</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-02T14:26:17-08:00">December 2nd, 2:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-02T14:26:17-08:00">December 2nd, 2:26pm</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Many did not think the 2025 NBA rookie class would be anything special outside of Cooper Flagg. Well, we are learning very quickly that there are several rookies becoming essential parts of their new organizations outside of Flagg, and none more than Kon Knueppel with the Charlotte Hornets.</p><p>Flagg was the big name coming out of Duke, but Knueppel was also an NBA-ready talent on the Blue Devils’ roster.</p><p>Between his 3-point shooting and shot-making skills on the wing, Knueppel has quickly cemented himself as one of the long-term pillars in Charlotte, and that is why he was u<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-news-cooper-flagg-kon-knueppel-make-league-history-rookie-honors">ltimately named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month</a> for games played in October and November.</p><p>Flagg earned this honor in the Western Conference, marking the <a href="https://x.com/NBAPR/status/1995944601400553506" rel="noopener">first time in NBA history</a> that two first-year players from the same college have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Rookies of the Month.</p><p>Although VJ Edgecombe got off to a fast start with the Philadelphia 76ers, he has since been <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/nba-rookie-power-rankings-25-26-cooper-flagg-falls-behind">surpassed by Knueppel and Flagg in the NBA rookie rankings</a>, as it’s the Hornets’ wing who has the upper hand through the quarter mark of the 2025-26 season.</p><h2><b>1. Kon Knueppel – Charlotte Hornets</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Kon-Knueppel-warming-up.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><i>Previous Ranking: #4</i></p><p><i>Stats: 21 games, 18.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 46.5 FG%, 41.5 3P%</i></p><p>Knueppel finished November averaging 19.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 39.1 percent from 3-point range. His best performance came on Nov. 14 against the Milwaukee Bucks, as Knueppel scored a career-high 32 points on 12-20 shooting in his Milwaukee homecoming.</p><p>So far this season, the Hornets wing has logged 10 games with at least 20 points, and he’s made at least four triples in 11 different games.</p><p>Through 21 games, Knueppel has made 73 total threes, trailing just Donovan Mitchell (81), Stephen Curry (75), and AJ Green (74) in the NBA.</p><p>With Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball dealing with injuries to begin the year, Knueppel stepped up in Charlotte to be their leading scorer. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues now that Miller and Ball are back in the fold.</p><h2><b>2. Cooper Flagg – Dallas Mavericks</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Mavs-Cooper-Flagg-shooting.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><i>Previous Ranking: #5</i></p><p><i>Stats: 21 games, 17.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.4 steals, 46.6 FG%, 25.6 3P%</i></p><p>While Flagg got off to a slow start with the Dallas Mavericks, he has been sensational as of late. The Mavs rookie has scored at least 10 points in all but one game this season, and he’s registered three different 20-point performances over his last six games.</p><p>This includes a 35-point, eight-rebound night in a 114-110 win over the LA Clippers on Saturday.</p><p>What makes this <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-cooper-flagg-dallas-need-clippers">performance so memorable for Flagg</a>, besides it being a career-high scoring night for him, is that he became the youngest player to ever record 35 points in a game in league history. He also <a href="https://x.com/NBA/status/1995017536208011294" rel="noopener">joined LeBron James</a> as the only players in NBA history to score 25 points before turning 19.</p><p>A lot of lofty expectations were placed on Flagg entering the league, especially with many comparing him to LeBron as being a historic draft prospect. So far, he has delivered for Dallas, and he is right in the mix for the Rookie of the Year award with Knueppel entering December.</p><h2><b>3. VJ Edgecombe – Philadelphia 76ers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/VJ-Edgecombe-dunking-1.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><i>Previous Ranking: #1</i></p><p><i>Stats: 16 games, 15.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.3 steals, 41.0 FG%, 36.0 3P%</i></p><p>When VJ Edgecombe began the year averaging 21.2 points per game through his first five contests for the Philadelphia 76ers, everyone started to believe he would be the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-vj-edgecombe-nba-debut-turns-heads-history-books">main competitor to Flagg for the Rookie of the Year award.</a></p><p>Although Edgecombe is still very much a part of this race with Flagg and Knueppel, he has looked like a rookie as of late, and he’s settled into his role alongside Tyrese Maxey.</p><p>Edgecombe averaged just 12.3 points per game in November, and that was mainly because of a left calf injury he battled through.</p><h2><b>4. Cedric Coward – Memphis Grizzlies</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Grizzlies-Cedric-Coward-shooting-over-SGA.jpg"><figcaption>Petre Thomas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><i>Previous Ranking: #3</i></p><p><i>Stats: 21 games, 13.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 45.2 FG%, 35.4 3P%</i></p><p>The most consistent rookie this season has been Cedric Coward. Once again, the Memphis Grizzlies have a key rookie contributor, and Coward has been extremely reliable in his role as a key scoring weapon off the bench in Memphis.</p><p>Coward has scored at least 10 points in 16 of the 21 games he’s played to this point, and his efficiency as a catch-and-shoot option from the perimeter has helped open the Grizzlies’ offensive attack.</p><p>Without Ja Morant on the court due to a calf injury, Coward has stepped into more of a leadership role for his team, which will only help him once he reverts back to being the third or fourth option down the line.</p><h2><b>5. Derik Queen – New Orleans Pelicans</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Pelicans-Derik-Queen-vs.-Nikola-Jokic.jpg"><figcaption>Stephen Lew-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><i>Previous Ranking: #8</i></p><p><i>Stats: 21 games, 11.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.0 steals, 48.0 FG%</i></p><p>Some have compared Derik Queen’s game to Nikola Jokic’s. As crazy as this may sound, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-news-new-orleans-may-stink-but-nikola-jokic-sees-vision-derik-queen">Jokic himself gave the rookie his stamp of approval,</a> claiming that he sees similarities between their games.</p><p>Since the New Orleans Pelicans fired Willie Green, Queen has been cast into the spotlight, and he’s been the Pelicans’ featured player.</p><p>His best three-game stretch came in the middle of November, as he averaged 23.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 53.1 percent from the floor.</p><p>These are the performances that have Pelicans fans excited about their future with Queen.</p><h2><b>6. Jeremiah Fears – New Orleans Pelicans</b></h2><p><i>Previous Ranking: #10</i></p><p><i>Stats: 21 games, 15.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals, 44.5 FG%, 36.0 3P%</i></p><p>With Zion Williamson, Jordan Poole, and others out with injury for the Pelicans, Jeremiah Fears has been thrown into the spotlight, much like Derik Queen.</p><p>Since the start of November, Fears has averaged 16.1 points per game while shooting 39.3 percent from 3-point range. This type of production proves that he can be the Pelicans’ franchise point guard.</p><h2><b>7. Ryan Kalkbrenner – Charlotte Hornets</b></h2><p><i>Previous Ranking: #7</i></p><p><i>Stats: 19 games, 9.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 81.1 FG%</i></p><p>Although Ryan Kalkbrenner has missed a couple of games with a sprained ankle, he still leads the league with his 81.1 shooting percentage. Between his rebounding and finishing abilities in the paint, Kalkbrenner has been the ideal center for the Hornets through the early portion of his career.</p><h2><b>8. Ace Bailey – Utah Jazz</b></h2><p><i>Previous Ranking: Not Ranked</i></p><p><i>Stats: 20 games, 10.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 46.2 FG%, 35.8 3P%</i></p><p>Now that Ace Bailey is starting and getting the chance to prove himself, he is emerging as a key offensive weapon alongside Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George for the Utah Jazz.</p><p>Over his last 12 games, Bailey is averaging 13.7 points per game while shooting 40.9 percent from 3-point range. In this span, Bailey has recorded at least 20 points in three different games.</p><h2><b>9. Tre Johnson – Washington Wizards</b></h2><p><i>Previous Ranking: #6</i></p><p><i>Stats: 15 games, 11.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 44.5 FG%, 39.5 3P%</i></p><p>Unfortunately, Tre Johnson is set to miss some time with a strained left hip flexor, which is unfortunate since he was elevating the Washington Wizards’ offense.</p><p>Through the first 15 games of his career, Johnson had made at least three triples five different times, and he scored in double figures 11 different times. His shooting potential presents optimism for the Wizards’ future.</p><h2><b>10. Egor Demin – Brooklyn Nets</b></h2><p><i>Previous Ranking: Not Ranked</i></p><p><i>Stats: 18 games, 8.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 37.7 FG%, 34.7 3P%</i></p><p>Not much has gone right for the Brooklyn Nets this season, as they appear to be focused on securing a top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. However, Egor Demin has shown flashes of his lead-guard potential during the first month or so of the 2025-26 season.</p><p>Demin does a little bit of everything, and the Nets are hopeful that his perimeter shooting will continue to develop to the point where he will be a real offensive threat. Right now, he appears to be in the mix to be an All-Rookie performer.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
16.1	6.4	3.1	0.7	1.3

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
16.1	6.4	3.1	0.7	1.3

Cooper Flagg news

Cooper
Flagg news