Cooper Flag was a star attraction in the Summer League. The number one pick was cast a shadow by one of his teammates.
When the Dallas Mavericks launched their Summer League campaign, all eyes were on the number one pick in the NBA Draft.
Cooper Flag undoubtedly landed with the Mavericks after winning the draft lottery and placed him alongside the “winning now” team. Over the years it was one of the best landing spots for my first overall pick.
Flag is said to be an elite talent who has already revitalized the plagued Mavericks front office ahead of the 2025-26 season.
However, in his summer league debut, another Dallas Mavericks rookie stepped up and stole the show.
Undrafted rookie Ryan Nenbird showed he can do with an impressive performance to lead the Mavericks to a 87-85 victory over the La Lakers.
Nembhard scored 21 points, surpassing Cooper Flag, who played a mild 10-point game in Vegas.
Cooper Flag only sank zero out of five of his 21 field goal attempts and five from three.
Nembhard was much more efficient, scoring MAVS with eight points in 14 field attempts, leading a team-high five assists.
Ryan Nenbird looks like another steal, and the Mavericks create a stir by landing him as an undrafted rookie.
NBA analyst Bill Simmons called for changes to the rules and additional draft rounds, expressing distrust that Nenbirds hadn’t been drafted at all.
Mavericks stakeholder Mark Cuba responded in his view, adding, “Ryan was a big win for us.”
His summer league debut showed why. Also, while the Cooper Flag is OK and proves to be worth the overall choice, it’s also very promising that Dallas has a second impact maker in the mix.