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Eight games into his NBA career, Cooper Flagg is getting a taste of what it’s like to lose at the highest level.
The No. 1 overall pick hasn’t lost much to this point in his basketball journey, and he admits it’s a completely different feeling as someone individually learning the ropes of the NBA.
“For me, it’s the most I’ve lost since then, you know? I don’t think ever. Obviously it’s a lot different and you have to adjust to playing a lot more games and get used to that,” Flagg said during a news conference. “I wouldn’t say anyone is happy. The guys are trying to stay level-headed and know we have a lot of games left to play and it’s still very early.
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Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks moves the ball up court against the Houston Rockets during the first half at the Toyota Center on November 3, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
“Personally speaking, I know it’s not fun to keep losing and losing games, so I’d like to make a change and hopefully start taking steps in the right direction.”
During his lone season at Duke last year, Flagg only suffered four losses. While playing for Montverde Academy in Florida, after beginning his high school career at Nokomis Regional High School in Maine, he didn’t lose much either, as Montverde won a national title and was named Naismith National High School Player of the Year.
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But the Mavericks are 2-6 to start the 2025-26 NBA season, including a loss Wednesday night to the New Orleans Pelicans, who had just one win in seven games entering the matchup.
As things stand Thursday, Dallas finds itself at the bottom of the Western Conference standings in 15th place.
Cooper Flagg speaks to the media during the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft on June 25, 2025 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. (Mike Lawrence/NBAE via Getty Images)
Now, it doesn’t help that the Mavs are also playing without two of their veteran stars along with Flagg. Kyrie Irving has a potential season-long injury, while Anthony Davis is already sidelined this season.
The Mavericks haven’t been defeated by their losses, but they haven’t been able to secure those close victories. The game against the Pelicans saw that situation, and it was Flagg who had the ball in his hands with less than 10 seconds left while trailing by two points.
Flagg had a shot at the line, but missed the chance to tie it and the Pelicans secured the rebound and the win in the process. Flagg finished with 20 points and nine rebounds in 35 minutes on the court.
“We got to a good spot, a spot I was able to get to during the second half of the game. I got to a good spot, put one on the rim, but it didn’t fall,” he said.
Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks leaves the court after a game against the Indiana Pacers at the American Airlines Center on October 29, 2025 in Dallas, Texas. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Flagg is off to a good statistical start to his NBA career, averaging 14.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. He would simply like to start earning more while contributing to his Mavericks team on the scoreboard.
“It’s been fun to be able to compete at a high level,” he added. “There’s a lot of things I can remember and a lot of film to watch and learn from playing against good defenders like that. Some good learning experiences and moments to look back on and hopefully improve on.”
