Mavs' Cooper Flagg talks about lessons learned from Klay Thompson by trolling Pacers

The Dallas Mavericks got away with a 107-105 win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night, although Aaron Nesmith found himself open with a three for the win at the end of the game. In that win, Cooper Flagg had his second double-double of his career, finishing with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists.

As part of his 15 points, he found himself guarded by Mac McClung, which is quite the mismatch, as McClung may be a three-time NBA dunk champion, but he's only listed at 6'2", and that might be generous. Flagg backed him down in the paint and rose up over the top with the left hand for the close finish.

After the shot, Flagg hit McClung with the "too small gesture," which some people made fun of since Flagg is around six inches taller than McClung, and it's the first overall pick going against an undrafted guy. Flagg talked about the decision to do so after the game, saying he's just learning to have fun, something he's learning from one of his veterans.

︀︀“I think it’s about having fun. That’s something I’m trying to keep with me through everything," Flagg said. "That’s something the older guys have been talking about, Klay [Thompson] especially. Just playing with a lot of joy. Just trying [to] enjoy the game as much as I can.”

Cooper Flagg on his “too small” gesture to Mac McClung:

“I think it’s about having fun. That’s something I’m trying to keep with me through everything. That’s something the older guys have been taking about, Klay especially. Just playing with a lot of joy. Just trying enjoy the… pic.twitter.com/Z4eDbp0fa5
— Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) October 30, 2025

Flagg had a rough game against the OKC Thunder on Monday night, finishing with just 2 points and 2 rebounds while dealing with a left shoulder injury. It didn't seem to impact him too much, as he wasn't on the injury report for Wednesday's game. We'll see if that pops up for when they play the Detroit Pistons on Saturday in Mexico City.

Cooper Flagg Falling Behind in Rookie of the Year Race

The 2025 rookie class has been showing out so far. Flagg is averaging 13.6 PPG, which is sixth in rookie scoring, behind VJ Edgecombe (22.3 PPG), Cedric Coward (16.0), Kon Knueppel (16.0), Dylan Harper (14.8), and Tre Johnson (14.8).

It doesn't help that Flagg is on a funky team that is really struggling on offense because they don't have any consistent playmaking with Kyrie Irving out due to injury. He's been asked to fill a lot of that playmaking role himself, starting every game at point guard despite never playing that position prior to the NBA. That's a large learning curve for anybody, much less someone who should just now a freshman in college.

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