Mavericks' Jason Kidd sent warning over Cooper Flagg experiment, risking stunted development originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Oct 26, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) moves the ball to the basket against the Toronto Raptors during the second half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

After Mavericks rookie battled a sore shoulder and had two points in 31 minutes, he found himself on the bench.

Contesting Chet Holmgren at the basket, Cooper Flagg instead helped him draw a poster. The seven-footer only needed one pump-fake to get PJ Washington to bite and off he soared for the vicious one-handed jam that had OKC fans jump out of their couch.

The Dallas Mavericks nearly completed an improbable comeback against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night. Trailing by 22 points in the fourth quarter, the Mavericks cut the deficit to one in the final minute and had an opportunity to tie the game with less than 30 seconds on the clock.

Still, in reality, no such thing has happened. While coach Jason Kidd made it clear that he would challenge Flagg by playing him as the point guard, the experiment clearly seems to be taking a toll on him.

After being overshadowed in his NBA debut earlier this week by Victor Wembanyama, Mavericks No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg tried to take matters into his own hands during his second start, a notable performance few in league history have accomplished prior.