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A breakout shooting performance from Cooper Flagg has Dallas believing its rookie cornerstone is beginning to erase the lone weakness in his offensive profile.
Following the Dallas Mavericks ' 131–130 win over the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night, ESPN insider Tim MacMahon identified Flagg's improved perimeter shooting as the swing skill that could elevate him into an unguardable scorer.
MacMahon spoke during ESPN's Christmas Eve broadcast of NBA Today, pointing to Flagg's efficiency from beyond the arc as the defining development.
"He was knocking the three down. This has been the one flaw in his game since they stopped this experiment of him at point guard… 4-of-6 from three, a career-high, season-high, whatever you want to call it for him. This has been a guy who had been shooting it 23%. If he's knocking down the three, forget about it. There's not really a ceiling on him as a scorer."
Flagg delivered one of the most complete performances of his young career against Denver, finishing with 33 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, one steal and one block. He shot 14-for-21 from the field and logged 40 minutes, controlling the game late as Dallas edged out a one-point win.
MacMahon also relayed praise from Denver star Nikola Jokic , who highlighted Flagg's composure rather than his scoring.
"But forget about what stood out to me, I asked Joker, Nikola Jokic, a three-time MVP what stood out to him about Cooper Flagg's performance. He said the poise he plays with he doesn't seem so young out there. He raved about this kid's maturity [and] said it feels like he's played in big games before and won a lot of games in his life."
The 19-year-old has surged offensively over his last five games, averaging 27.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.6 blocks while shooting 50.5 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from three. That stretch includes a career-high 42-point outing in a 140–133 overtime loss to the Utah Jazz last Monday.
For the season, Flagg is averaging 19.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 48.7 percent overall and 26.7 percent from deep across 30 games.
The win over Denver improved Dallas to 12–19 after a 5–15 start, continuing a gradual turnaround. The Mavericks will open a three-game road trip on Christmas Day with a matchup against the Golden State Warriors (15–15) at 5:00 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN.
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