Cooper Flagg's Welcome to the NBA: Mavericks vs Spurs
The hype train for Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, pulled into Dallas on Wednesday night for his highly anticipated debut against the Spurs. Unfortunately for the Mavericks and the electric Duke product, the train immediately derailed, caught fire, and blew up the tracks.
It was, quite simply, a nightmare start, culminating in a humbling 125-92 blowout victory for San Antonio.
The Zero-Point Half That Broke the Internet
Flagg, the clear-cut American No. 1 prospect since Zion Williamson in 2019, was thrown into the fire as the starting point guard—a position he’s about as qualified for as Charles Barkley is for a small-ball center role. The results were immediate and brutal:
First Half Line: 0 points, 0 assists, 2 total field goal attempts.
Social media, naturally, had a field day. Fans on X (formerly Twitter) noted that Flagg was "doing cardio and hiding from the ball." The stats suggested he was actively trying to avoid responsibility, only taking two shots in 24 minutes.
Meanwhile, the Inside the NBA crew had a half-time intervention. Charles Barkley—never one to hold back a hot take—declared, "They didn't even put Cooper Flagg in a position to be successful. He's not a point guard. He's never been a point guard in his life. He's passing the ball to dudes that ain't as good as him. He should not be playing the point." (Which is actually sensible analysis, for Barkley, so you know the situation was dire.)
Wemby's Big Brother Moment
Adding insult to injury, Flagg had the unenviable task of debuting against the man who redefined the No. 1 pick status: Victor Wembanyama. The 2023 No. 1 pick decided to welcome the 2025 No. 1 pick with a vicious display of dominance, going off for 40 points (on 15-of-21 shooting), 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks. It was an instant "Welcome to the NBA" moment delivered with extreme prejudice.
The Silver Lining (It Took a While)
To Flagg's credit, he didn't curl up in the fetal position and call a taxi back to Maine. He came out of the locker room for the second half and finally found his footing, going 4-for-11 from the field in the third quarter alone to get rid of that dreaded zero.
He eventually finished with a double-double, which sounds great until you realize his final line was only 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting and 10 rebounds, with that glaring zero in the assist column.
It's worth noting that Flagg, at 18 years and 305 days old, is the youngest player to debut since LeBron James in 2003. But Flagg isn't playing against scrubs; he's starting on a playoff-contending team and running point against the best players in the world.
The Mavericks have a lot to figure out about how to use their generational talent, especially after he scored 31 points against these same Spurs in the Summer League. Let's just hope Flagg spends the flight home reflecting on the second half, and not on the first half—or those Barkley quotes.
