One of the most hyped prospects of the 21st century gets his first professional run this week. He’ll share the floor with the son of an equally seismic No. 1 pick in a matchup that has sent NBA Summer League ticket prices soaring. After his coronation at last month’s NBA Draft, Cooper Flagg becomes the fresh-faced visage of the Dallas Mavericks’ surprise reshuffle. On the other end, Bronny James tries to carve out his own place in the basketball orbit outside of his dad, LeBron James. Come Thursday, we are all Flagg-Pole Sittas.
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How to watch Mavericks vs. Lakers (Summer League)
The game can also be streamed on ESPN+.
The 18-year-old prodigal Duke product ticks all the boxes as a rising superstar. Flagg was athletic, rangy and fearless in his sole college season, putting together one of the best freshman campaigns in NCAA history. He projects to be a strong finisher at the rim and a reliable spot-up shooter, with tremendous two-way instincts and playmaking skills. Flagg will have to bulk up and find his footing against NBA-level competition, but Dallas’ future has improbably brightened — just a few months ago, fans staged fake funerals outside of home games.
There are a few notable talents around Flagg. The Mavericks’ summer roster also includes Ryan Nembhard, an elite passer at Gonzaga and the brother of Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard. They have Miles Kelly, who was a sharpshooting starter for a record-setting Auburn team, and Jamarion Sharp, who is 7-foot-5. The most experienced summer leaguer here is Maxwell Lewis, a 2023 second-round pick who has played for the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets.
Los Angeles’ exhibition squad is headlined by Bronny James and fellow second-year guard Dalton Knecht. James struggled mightily in his limited NBA minutes (31.3 percent from the field, 28.1 percent on 3s across 27 games). He was a solid G League option, though, averaging 21.9 points, 5.4 assists and 5.2 rebounds with the South Bay Lakers. This is a pivotal summer for James, as he tries to assert himself as a pro hooper with tangible upside, rather than a novelty with the namesake of the league’s all-time leading scorer.
Knecht was markedly better as a rookie, putting up 9.1 points per game as a steady member of the rotation. He showed real touch around the perimeter and served as a catch-and-shoot valve for the Lakers’ starry offense. Knecht even cracked 20 points in seven different games, including a remarkable 37-point showing in November. Other names on the L.A. summer league team include RJ Davis, the North Carolina standout, and Darius Bazley, a first-round pick in 2019 who has since bounced around the league. Fans of 1990s NBA lore will delight in seeing Augustas Marčiulionis — his father, Šarūnas, is a Lithuanian legend with a plaque in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
NBA Summer League MVPs
2006 — Randy Foye (Minnesota)
2007 — Nate Robinson (New York
2008 — Jerryd Bayless (Portland)
2009 — Blake Griffin (LA Clippers)
2010 — John Wall (Washington)
- No Summer League in 2011 (lockout)
2012 — Damian Lillard (Portland) and Josh Selby (Memphis)
2013 — Jonas Valančiūnas (Toronto)
2014 — Glen Rice Jr. (Washington)
2015 — Kyle Anderson (San Antonio)
2016 — Tyus Jones (Minnesota)
2017 — Lonzo Ball (L.A. Lakers)
2018 — Josh Hart (L.A. Lakers)
2019 — Brandon Clarke (Memphis)
- No Summer League in 2020 (pandemic)
2021 — Davion Mitchell (Sacramento) and Cam Thomas (Brooklyn)
2022 — Keegan Murray (Sacramento)
2023 — Cam Whitmore (Houston)
2024 — Jalen Wilson (Brooklyn)
Most win shares for Mavericks and Lakers:
- A.C. Green (75)
- Derek Harper (67.8)
- Sam Perkins (61.4)
Enjoy that top spot, Iron Man … because Luka Dončić will all but certainly take it in the year(s) to come.
Streaming and ticketing links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Photo of Cooper Flagg: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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