Cooper Flagg Debuts in Preseason for Mavericks with 10 Points

Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick in this year's NBA draft, made his preseason professional debut on Monday for the Dallas Mavericks, scoring 10 points, grabbing six rebounds and handing out three assists in 14 minutes during a 106-89 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. The 18-year-old forward followed that outing with a home start against the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday, finishing the first half with 11 points, three rebounds, four assists and three steals as the Mavericks continued to experiment with lineups ahead of the regular season.

Flagg’s first pro points came on an acrobatic contested layup in the second quarter against Oklahoma City, and he added a 3-pointer shortly after. He showed playmaking instincts early by running the point and finding a wide-open dunk for teammate Dwight Powell. Defensively, he recorded a weak-side block in the opening quarter that led to a fastbreak basket for Dallas. Head coach Jason Kidd praised the rookie’s all-around showing, saying, "He was really, really good."

Dallas opened a large lead by halftime in Fort Worth, and most starters, including Flagg, did not return for the second half as the team...