The Dallas Mavericks are currently in the throes of a season-long seven game losing streak after their 138-125 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night. Although that game was certainly an ugly
one, Dallas has otherwise been competitive during the skid, giving fans something to enjoy while the wins remain elusive.
Cooper Flagg is surpassing the hype
In the four losses prior to Saturday night, Cooper Flagg put on an offensive show to etch his name in the record books yet again. From January 29th through February 5th, across four losses to the Hornets, Rockets, Celtics and Spurs, Flagg was unstoppable. He dropped a career-high 49 points, followed by 34, 36 and 32-point outings, respectively. The 151 combined points over a four-game span is the first time a rookie has had such a spurt in almost 30 years (Allen Iverson; 1997)!
Flagg’s rebounding totals of 10, 12, 9 and 6, respectively across those four games also put him in the company of Michael Jordan. Flagg is now the first rookie since 1985 to have four-straight games of 30 points and five rebounds.
For the trifecta, Flagg’s four-game stretch gives him a record all his own as well. He is now the youngest player in NBA history to score 30 or more in four-straight games.
There isn’t much argument at this point that Flagg has exceeded the lofty expectations he entered the league with. His growth is happening in real time before our eyes and any talk about his offensive game being under-developed feels like a very distant memory at this point.
Marvin Bagley enters the Mavs’ record books in his first game
Marvin Bagley joined his fellow Duke University alum in the record-setting action. In his first game as a Maverick following his arrival as part of the Anthony Davis trade, Bagley put on a show. He poured in 16 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, one steal and four blocks off the bench. The box score alone would have been impressive had he been with the team all season, but is more impressive still just days after joining the Mavs roster.
Within his performance Saturday night is a Mavericks franchise record. Eight of Bagley’s 12 rebounds came on the offensive end, breaking Chris Gattling’s nearly 30-year old franchise record of six.
Much of Dallas’ trade deadline attention centered around cap relief and avoiding the second apron, and rightfully so. However, the players coming to Dallas still hold plenty of intrigue of their own when it comes to how they may fit going forward. Bagley, a former number 2 pick in the 2018 draft gives the Mavs another capable big. Depending on Daniel Gafford’s status with the team after this season, as well as Dereck Lively’s health going into next year, Bagley may yet have a future in Dallas. He will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and likely relatively cheap should the Mavs want to keep him around. Somewhat undersized as a center, he can at least play small there and is a capable power forward as demonstrated Saturday. Dallas has the remainder of the season to try out the fit, and perhaps he will want to stick around on a roster that currently features four other former Dukies (Kyrie Irving, Tyus Jones, Flagg and Lively).
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