3-Time NBA Champion Misses Entire Point About Mavericks' Cooper Flagg, Rookie Class

Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg has had an impressive week. On Thursday, he put up the most points by any teenager in NBA history with 49 points on an incredibly efficient 20/29 shooting. He followed that up on Saturday with 34 points against the Houston Rockets, nearly tripling Kevin Durant's scoring output.

And yet, that has only invited more discourse about him for whatever reason. Former Maverick Jamal Mashburn already thinks he wouldn't be a top 5 player had he stayed in the 2026 class, despite these massive performances, and now, three-time NBA Champion Udonis Haslem is saying he'd rather have VJ Edgecombe over Flagg because Flagg isn't a two-way player. Which is an absurd take.

︀︀"I know Cooper [Flagg] is doing his thing, I know Kon [Knueppel] is doing his thing... VJ [Edgecombe], out of all these guys, he is the two-way guy," Haslem stated on the recent NBA on Prime studio show. "This guy impacts the game regardless if the basketball is in his hands. If I'm starting a team, I'm starting my team with a two-way guy."

Udonis:

"I know Cooper is doing his thing, I know Kon is doing his thing...VJ out of all these guys he is the two-way guy. This guy impacts the game regardless if the basketball is in his hands. If I'm starting a team, I'm starting my team with a two-way guy" pic.twitter.com/LrsbRWhhBe
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) January 31, 2026

Cooper Flagg has been better than VJ Edgecombe in nearly every statistical category except three-point shooting. Edgecombe is 0.1 APG ahead, and they're even on steals+blocks per game, but Flagg has been the better scorer, better rebounder, has been a more efficient scorer, and impacts winning more.

That could all change, as we're just 45 games into the first season of their hopefully long careers, but Flagg looks to have a much higher ceiling. There's a reason he was the clear-cut first overall pick just eight months ago.

And the biggest reason everyone was so confident in Flagg as a prospect was his two-way ability. He's a legitimately great on-ball defender and on helpside, coming from out of nowhere to block shots at times. To imply he isn't a two-way player is just wrong.

Jan 31, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) dribbles the ball during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Cooper Flagg Is Better Sooner Than Anyone Thought He'd Be

Cooper Flagg entered the NBA with a lot of expectations. He performed well against Team USA last year in Olympic practices and won National Player of the Year in his lone season at Duke, but people probably expected there to be a larger learning curve for the rookie.

Instead, he's been impressive in every game, one way or another. Had he not left a game early due to an ankle injury, he would have scored in double figures every game. The shooting is still coming along, but with how well he's adjusted, it wouldn't be surprising to see him close the season shooting the ball at a much higher level.

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