How Mavericks' Cooper Flagg is Addressing His Biggest Weakness

Cooper Flagg has had a phenomenal rookie season with the Dallas Mavericks, even if the season has been far from what anybody expected for the team. He may have exceeded expectations, but the rest of the team has failed to live up to their end of the bargain.

There are still plenty of things Flagg would like to work on as we get closer to the offseason. There are only three games remaining in the regular season, and it'll be an important offseason for Flagg and the Mavs.

Flagg's trainer, Matt MacKenzie, sat down with Mark Medina of RG.org, where he talked about how they're addressing Flagg's biggest weakness: hesitation.

"We talk about how important, especially immediately off the catch, to be able to take what the defense gives you. I feel like that’s going to be a work in progress for him to just continue to understand that hesitation is the No. 1 enemy of his progress," MacKenzie said. "If he wants to continue to emerge as a 3-point threat and more consistent outside shooter, he’s got to let them fly and continue to take the right shots. You see that when he shoots without any hesitation, things look very pure. But when there is any type of hesitation or doubt, that’s when you see him miss his mark. That’s going to be something that he’s really working on over the next offseason. He’s continuing to gain more confidence and less hesitation with those parts of his game.

"...It’s really just working on shooting with varying distances and closeouts. We work on small-sided games where it’s not like it’s just one against a closeout defender. You have a passing option. You also have the ability to shoot. You also have the opportunity to drive. We put in shot-clock situations where he has a certain amount of time as well off-the-catch to make that decision. I talk to the defenders or the coaches about varying the distances or how high their hand is on the closeout. He just has to go through those repetitions over and over and over and then reflect on it."

Apr 5, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) reacts after scoring during the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Hesitation is Leading to Flagg's Shooting Struggles

Flagg's three-point shooting was his biggest weakness entering the NBA. He shot at a high rate in college and has always been a good free-throw shooter, but people weren't sure the three would translate to the next level.

That has been his biggest sticking point. Flagg is shooting 29.7% from three this season, despite some stretches of hot shooting. In his 51-point performance against the Orlando Magic last Friday, he was 6/9 from three, and you could see the confidence he was playing with.

His 82.3% shooting at the stripe suggests the three-point shot will continue to develop. If it does, he's going to be one of the best players in the NBA for a long time.

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