Cooper Flagg has it all figured out.
The Dallas Mavericks' rookie phenom may just have turned 19 years old a couple of weeks ago, but the No. 1 overall pick out of Duke is clearly wise beyond his years.
The latest example came on Thursday when the Mavs took on the Philadelphia 76ers.
Flagg used a screen up top to get Joel Embiid to switch out onto him. The rookie recognized that his quickness advantage could come in handy here.
He sized up Embiid with the dribble, suggesting a pull-up jumper was coming as Embiid sagged off. As soon as Flagg picked the ball up, Embiid closed out, expecting the shot.
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Flagg recognized the big fella coming forward, dished the ball away, cut right past Embiid and got it back for a finish at the rim.
Brilliant basketball.
Crafty play from Cooper Flagg after drawing Joel Embiid on a switch out of double drag.
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) January 2, 2026
Flagg gets Embiid to commit to contesting a pull-up three — setting up a give & go for a finish at the rim. Pic.twitter.com/ThA3SpQ56B
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Very few 6-foot-9 19-year-olds in the history of basketball are executing a play like this one.
But Flagg is like few other players ever. He put up numbers as an 18-year-old in the NBA that had him residing with the likes of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant on all-time leaderboards.
And it's in moments like the one above where it's clear Flagg isn't fluky. He's just special.
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