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Former Duke Star Cooper Flagg Receives Strong Praise From New Mavs Coach
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- Former Duke Star Cooper Flagg Receives Strong Praise From New Mavs Coach
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
The Dallas Mavericks introduced Dusty May as their new head coach on Monday, and the former Michigan coach had strong praise for former Duke star Cooper Flagg .
"A superstar who plays hard, cares about his teammates and is incredibly unselfish, those things aren't that common, according to people around the league,' May said about Flagg, via Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal .
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Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in his lone season at Duke. The Maine native's best game in college was against Notre Dame on January 11, 2025. He had 42 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
Duke fans probably watch a lot of Mavericks games because Dallas has Flagg, Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II , three former Blue Devils.
The last former Duke player to win NBA Rookie of the Year before Flagg was Paolo Banchero of the Orlando Magic . The NBA announced in April that Flagg was the 2025-26 Rookie of the Year.
There are several former Duke players in the NBA. Flagg is the youngest, but he might already be the best.
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Flagg appeared in 70 games during his rookie season with the Mavericks. He averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 46.8% from the field, 29.5% from beyond the arc and 82.7% from the free-throw line.
"Obviously, thank you to my teammates, the ones that are here and the ones who aren't. I wouldn't have been able to do it without them," Flagg said during his Rookie of the Year speech. "Coaches, Coach Kidd, the rest of the staff, just thank you to them. It's an incredible recognition, and it means a ton."
Flagg and Irving will make their debut as a duo next season. Duke and basketball fans all over the world certainly can't wait to see that.
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