Newport’s Cooper Flagg just accomplished something that only five NBA rookies had done before him. And they’re all in the Hall of Fame now.
Flagg joined Micheal Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Earl Monroe and Walt Bellamy as the only rookies to have at least three 45-point games, according to ESPN Research.
Flagg joined that illustrious company with his historic performance over the weekend, scoring 51 points on Friday night against the Orlando Magic and following that up with 46 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night.
The 51 points were the most ever for a teenager in the NBA.
Those 96 points in two games were an exclamation mark in Flagg’s push for the Rookie of the Year award, helping him overtake college roommate Kon Knueppel as the odds-on favorite according to Draft Kings and other betting sites.
“Need we say any more,” Naji Marshall said Sunday night as Flagg was getting interviewed postgame about his performance.
Asked during a later press conference about what kind of statement he made with that historically-good weekend tally, Flagg was his typical understated self.
“I think it’s definitely some sort of statement,” Flagg responded. “But it just goes back to what I’ve said: I’m confident in myself and I know what I’m capable of. I’ll just let the rest of the stuff figure itself out.”
Flagg has clearly been figuring things out quickly as just a 19-year-old rookie. Amid a wave of injuries in the Mavericks lineup this season, including a foot injury that sidelined Flagg for eight games, he has already emerged as the team’s go-to player.
“I don’t know if he’s making a closing statement, I think he’s just doing what he’s been doing all season,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said after Sunday night’s game. “Being able to play different positions, being able to be uncomfortable, has never complained, and has delivered for us.”
Flagg’s effort helped the struggling Mavericks take down the number three team in the Western Conference by beating Lebron James and the Lakers.
“I mean, he’s obviously special,” James said about Flagg afterward, as reported by the Athletic. “I’ve seen that all the way back to, like, the AAU days when he was coming up in the ranks and playing with his team out of Maine and he was doing the things that he was doing on the circuit. So, knew he was special from then, and he’s just taken that, from what he was doing back home to the AAU circuit to Duke to now here, and he’s getting better and better and better. Looks like he loves the game. He’s putting in the work, and he’s gotten better.”
Flagg is averaging 21.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game this season. Knueppel is averaging 18.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game for the Charlotte Hornets.
Flagg had been the leading Rookie of the Year contender for much of the season until his foot injury. But after this weekend, Draft Kings and others have Flagg as the favorite once again.
