From the moment Cooper Flagg stepped onto an NBA court, it was clear the Dallas Mavericks had drafted a generational talent.
Flagg has already reached statistical milestones rarely seen from teenagers in the league, joining an elite group of players, including LeBron James and Luka Doncic, who achieved remarkable scoring feats before their 19th birthdays.
As the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, he has quickly become one of the most electrifying young players in the NBA.
In mid-December, he erupted for a career-high 42 points in a 140-133 overtime loss to the Utah Jazz. That performance, completed just before his 19th birthday, made him the youngest player ever to score 40 points in a game, surpassing the previous record held by LeBron James.
Earlier in the season, Flagg became the youngest player to score 35 points in a single game, further solidifying his place in NBA history.
According to NBA tracking of historic teenage production, he stands third all-time in points scored by an 18-year-old, behind only LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, and leads in total 40-point games, the first player of his age to accomplish that feat.
Flagg‘s trajectory has reignited comparisons to other transcendent young talents. James, the only other NBA teenager with multiple games of significant scoring output, did most of his heavy lifting as an 18-year-old phenom in the early 2000s.
Doncic, meanwhile, dominated as a teenager in the EuroLeague before arriving in the NBA at 19 and swiftly becoming an MVP-level talent.
Flagg now shares the rare distinction of achieving comparable milestones before his 19th birthday.
A fledging generational talent
Flagg‘s impact isn’t limited to individual records. His rise has injected new life into a Mavericks franchise in transition, providing a young cornerstone around which the team can build.
Despite Dallas enduring its share of losses this season, Flagg‘s electrifying play has energized the fan base and positioned him as a frontrunner for Rookie of the Year honors, a distinction many analysts now expect him to contend for barring injury.
His coach, Jason Kidd, has frequently praised Flagg‘s maturity and competitiveness, noting that the teenager plays with a poise unusual for someone so new to the professional ranks.
Teammates have echoed similar sentiments, pointing to Flagg‘s confidence and his ability to make his teammates better as defining features of his early NBA tenure.
Even as Flagg enters the final stretch of his rookie season, the sense among observers is that this is only the beginning.
If his current pace holds, Flagg could soon challenge records not just among teenagers but across all rookies in NBA history.
For a player still years away from his physical prime, the foundation he’s laying now suggests the league may be witnessing the emergence of a future all-time great.
