Dirk Nowitzki Explains Why Mavericks Aren’t Worried About Cooper Flagg’s Shooting

Cooper Flagg has had a very nice first half to his rookie year. The No. 1 pick in the draft has averaged 18 points, six rebounds, four assists and a steal while giving Dallas Mavericks fans a reason to remain fans after the organization traded away Luka Dončić in a move that shocked the sports world less than a year ago.

While Flagg has impressed veterans around the league and broken records held by LeBron James, the one thing he hasn't excelled at is shooting the three. Flagg, who shot 38.5% on 3.6 attempts a game in his one season at Duke, is only shooting 28.6% on 3.4 attempts a game in the NBA.

One person who is not worried about that is Dirk Nowitzki, and he insists that no one else in Dallas is either.

Dirk Nowitzki on Cooper Flagg: “My rookie season, I shot 29% from three and it ended up being okay. We’re not worried about Cooper’s three ball.” pic.twitter.com/1rVoLlQx73
— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime) January 23, 2026

"He had a lot on his plate early on in the season with running the point guard, trying to get the ball to everyone," Nowitzki told his Prime co-hosts. "I think he's been a lot better from month to month. He's been more comfortable I'd say stepping into shots. It's not like he's changed any of his shooting clinic, or shooting form. He's just stepping into it with a little more confidence. He's been in a great rhythym since he's moved more to his normal spot averaging like 26 and five. Almost 50% from the floor. So he's been shooting at an incredible clip. Like I said, nobody here in Dallas is worried about his three-ball. I think that's something that will come. Quick fun fact, I was actually, my rookie season I shot 29% from three, and I ended up being okay, so we're not worried about Cooper's three-ball."

An even more fun fact: Dirk Nowitzki actually shot much worse than that as a rookie making just 20.6% of his 1.4 attempts per game during the '98-'99 season. He ended up shooting 5,210 three-pointers in his career, which puts him at No. 23 on the all-time attempts list. He also ended up making 38% of those, which means he's currently No. 20 on the NBA's all-time list for three-pointers made.

Those are certainly numbers worth shooting for.

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