Cooper Flagg voices Jayson Tatum respect ahead of homecoming

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Cooper Flagg voices Jayson Tatum respect ahead of homecoming

Souichi Terada · MassLive

Fri, Mar 6, 2026 ·

3 min read

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With the Celtics hosting the Mavericks on Friday at TD Garden, when the schedule came out, it was already circled on the calendar. No. 1 pick and Maine native Cooper Flagg was going to make his homecoming to the New England area.

But now Friday's game has more anticipation behind it: Jayson Tatum could make his comeback against the Mavs. Flagg, speaking to reporters after Dallas' loss to the Magic on Thursday, talked about the respect he has for Tatum.

"He was one of the guys I grew up watching," Flagg said. "Kind of modeled my game after him, watching him at Duke to the league. It's special. Obviously, his whole recovery has been nothing but incredible, and just how hard he's worked. You have to give him so much credit for just being so driven and a worker."

Tatum is officially questionable for Friday's game with his Achilles injury. The C's star is less than 10 months removed since surgery, last playing in a game May 12, 2025. But the comeback buzz was real over the past few weeks, and Friday is shaping up to be his return game.

Flagg endured his own injury woes recently due to a midfoot sprain. But Flagg made his return Thursday in Orlando after missing the past eight games. He scored 18 points, though the Mavs lost to fall to 21-41 on the season. Flagg is good to play for Friday's game in front of friends and family as he's not on the injury report.

"To come back so soon, it's incredible," Flagg said. "It's a great opportunity. I think it's going to be a really fun game. He's always somebody I've always looked up to. I'm excited to face off and compete against him."

Flagg was a top prospect in his prep days and reclassified to the class of 2024. He then spent a one-and-done season at Duke, guiding the Blue Devils to the Final Four. Flagg dominated as an All-American, doing so as a teenager in a college game that's getting increasingly older. As expected, Dallas picked him at the top of the 2025 draft.

Flagg's own homecoming will get overshadowed by Tatum's potential return, but the 19-year-old sounded pumped to play at the Garden. He's averaging 20.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game for the Mavs in his rookie season. Dallas isn't going anywhere amid a rebuilding season, but Flagg has showed why he went No. 1 overall.

"I'm excited," Flagg said. "I know there are going to be a lot of people showing up from Maine, showing up to support. I'm excited to be up there for the first time and play in that arena. It's really the only arena I went to as a little kid, so I'm really excited and it's a great opportunity."

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