Moreover, Flagg tied Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards for the fourth-highest scoring performance by a teenager, according to a story from ESPN. Edwards scored 42 points twice in 2021, while Durant did the same in 2008.

Flagg — the No. 1 pick in last summer’s NBA Draft — scored 42 points, which is the highest scoring output from an 18-year-old in NBA history. James held the previous record with 37 points, which came in a December 2003 game with the Cleveland Cavaliers in his rookie season.

Mavericks trade idea ships Anthony Davis for overhaul, 2 first-rounders to build around Cooper Flagg originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Flagg is already a really good NBA player, but how does he stack up compared to his peers? ESPN ranked the top 25 players under 25 years old based on long-term potential, and had Cooper Flagg 8th, only behind Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Edwards, Cade Cunningham, Jalen Williams, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and Evan Mobley.

Lately, Cooper Flagg has gone above and beyond the call of duty. The rookie sensation for the Dallas Mavericks has been entrusted with the of starting point guard role. With that will come a certain amount of criticism as to whether the No.1 pick coming off one year at Duke has what it takes.

The Los Angeles Lakers won't be thrilled with a recent reunion idea involving their star guard and the Dallas Mavericks.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/mavericks/onsi as Jason Kidd explains controversial Cooper Flagg decision that could pay off for Mavericks.

The Mavericks contend that Flagg already has become a great player.