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“Not up to my standard” - Cooper Flagg comments on his performance in much-hyped duel against Bronny James

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NBA 2K26 Summer League started on an exciting note with Cooper Flagg and Bronny James in action. The performance kickstarted discussions surrounding their statistics, caliber, technique, and so on. Cooper Flagg spoke to ESPN and summed up his performance, saying, “Not up to my standard.”

Though Flagg is not satisfied with his performance, his team, the Dallas Mavericks , won the game 87-85. But this is not the end for the second-youngest draft pick. The sensational National Player of the Year shared his future course of action, which reflected immense maturity and his love for perfection. Noted NBA analysts weighed in on his performance while appreciating his strengths.

Cooper Flagg critically analyzed his debut game performance while facing Bronny James in NBA Summer League opener

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The much-hyped game between Cooper Flagg’s Dallas Mavericks and Bronny James’ Los Angeles Lakers ended in favor of the Mavericks. While all eyes were on NBA Draft’s No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, he could be seen taking time adjusting to a new environment and teammates.

The Mavericks’ No.1 pick admitted in a post-game interview to ESPN that his performance was not 'up to his standard'. Speaking further on how he plans to improve his game, he shared:

“But I’m going to regroup. I’m going to be all right. It’s a new feeling, new environment, new teammates.”

Whatever Flagg said was entirely true. Flagg managed to score 10 points in the game. He remained scoreless in the second half and could not convert six field goal opportunities. However, his performance stood out as he put up a decent show in the first half.

Cooper Flagg gets support from NBA world for his debut game performance Cooper Flagg earned good support from the game critics. According to ESPN’s Tim Legler, his struggle on the court was obvious due to a lack of teamwork, while not putting Flagg entirely on the spot. He attributed it to the long stay away from the court after college basketball. During the game, Legler pointed out:

“There’s no real rhythm and flow because they haven’t practiced together except for a few days.

Everything he’s trying to do right now is creating one-on-one off the dribble. Number one, it’s exhausting. And two, it’s very difficult to be efficient that way because there’s nothing really that’s happening with action that creates the ability to catch the ball with some space to operate.”

However, Legler was quick to mention the strengths of Flagg. He said, “Overall, a rough shooting night, but you’ve seen all the different boxes that he checks – his size and ball handling ability, athleticism. That combination is going to lead to a lot of good things happening when he's on the floor. He just has really struggled with his mid-range contested shots and then anything deep, as well. But you’ve seen all of the things that he does on display with the exception that he just hasn't finished it off by making shots at the rate he typically is used to.”

Another NBA analyst, Skip Bayless, tweeted, “Cooper Flagg played the most minutes on either team in the first half - because he loves hooping. Didn't shoot it that well, but you saw the 18-year-old flashes of greatness.”

Jamal Christopher commented, “Cooper Flagg obviously is the goods I cannot believe the mavericks actually got him man.”
imageCooper Flagg indeed demonstrated unparalleled maturity with a crisp analysis of his game. He is right in keeping his expectations of himself high, owing to his immense potential to become the future NBA star.

Also Read: Bronny James falls short as Cooper Flagg leads Dallas Mavericks past Los Angeles Lakers in high-stakes Summer League opener

Cooper Flagg will be seen next on Saturday, July 12, when the Dallas Mavericks will take on the San Antonio Spurs. The matchup will be interesting as No. 2 draft pick, Dylan Harper, is expected to make his debut.
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