The Dallas Mavericks rookie, Cooper Flagg, opens up on his too-small gesture during the game against the Indiana Pacers.

Flagg followed the best game of his young NBA career with his worst on the tail end of his first back-to-back in the league.

After being overshadowed in his NBA debut earlier this week by Victor Wembanyama, Mavericks No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg tried to take matters into his own hands during his second start, a notable performance few in league history have accomplished prior.

Cooper Flagg has slipped in the latest NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings for the 2025-26 season, as of October 30th.

The Mavericks utilized him as such in preseason, and to begin the regular season, they are doing the same. However, things have not gone as well as they expected, and it has led to a three-time NBA champion sending a message to the Mavericks about what they should do with Flagg before it is too late.

Cooper Flagg made his long-awaited debut on Wednesday with the Mavericks, registering a double-double in a loss to the Spurs.

In many ways, Flagg had his "welcome to the NBA" moment on Monday, which will likely only help him going forward. The forgettable game didn’t dampen Flagg's spirits. After the game, in which he was admittedly "flat," Flagg said he understood why Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd benched him during crunch time.

Dallas Mavericks rookie sensation Cooper Flagg accomplished something the NBA hasn't seen since Kobe Bryant way back in 1997.