Dallas Mavericks rookie forward Cooper Flagg has already faced some surprising defense schemes from the Los Angeles Lakers’ and San Antonio Spurs’ Summer League squads.
With the announcement Sunday that the Mavericks would be shutting down their prized top pick in the 2025 draft for the rest of Summer League after just two games, it appears that this treatment is all Flagg will know until the 2025-26 preseason tips off this fall.
MORE NEWS: Mavericks make bold Summer League decision on Cooper Flagg
Both opposing defenses have opted to occasionally trap Flagg full court, double-team him frequently, and generally play him with intense physicality around the basket.
Flagg’s trainer Matt MacKenzie recently unpacked how rival defenses have already been treating the 6-foot-9 Duke phenom in a fresh interview with Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina.
Cooper Flagg’s trainer, Matt MacKenzie (@resultsbb), spoke to @Sportskeeda on his strong Summer League play, how upset he was over his shooting, Mark Cuban comparing Cooper’s trajectory to Kobe Bryant, what Cooper hopes to learn from Dirk Nowitzki & more. https://t.co/9kE8AzYwGH pic.twitter.com/XcRp3b5TMP
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) July 13, 2025
“He takes it as a compliment,” MacKenzie said of opposing defenses’ intense coverage. “But I didn’t expect someone would be picking him up full court from the moment he takes the ball out of bounds and then trapping him. But you got to take it as a compliment.”
Lakers second-year guard Bronny James and Mavericks rookie wing Carter Bryant logged heavy minutes defending Flagg. Nevertheless, Flagg concludes his Summer League stint with impressive averages of 20.5 points on .357/.214/.571 shooting splits, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 swipes and 1.0 rejections.
“With Cooper’s competitive nature, it’s funny because I talked to him earlier and he said, ‘If it was up to me, I would play the entire Summer League.’ He wants to play every single game,” MacKenzie said, prior to the news that Flagg was being shut down. “He loves this. He loves this environment. He thinks that it’s great.”
