Kevin Durant praises Cooper Flagg after Mavericks upset Rockets

One of the greatest scorers in NBA history says how much he loves Cooper Flagg's game.

Dec 6, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) brings the ball up the court during the first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images | Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks have a little break in the NBA schedule as the NBA Cup goes on this week, but they've also been able to find a little bit of a groove recently. They've won four of their last five games, picking up impressive wins over the Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat, and Houston Rockets.

In that win over the Rockets, they went on an impressive 29-9 run to end the third quarter to take control of the game. But Cooper Flagg continued his recent stretch of strong performances, putting up 19 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks on 7/15 shooting. He's getting more comfortable with every game, especially in the mid-range, something that caught Kevin Durant's eye after the game.

"Just from watching his film, he's finally figuring it out... he can shoot the jump shot off the middy, he can shoot the 3, he can get to the rim. I love his game," the Rockets star said.

Kevin Durant on Cooper Flagg:

"Just from watching his film he's finally figuring it out...he can shoot the jump shot off the middy, he can shoot the 3, he can get to the rim. I love his game" pic.twitter.com/dyUReIhISB

— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) December 7, 2025

Flagg went viral for a turn-around fadeaway midrange shot in that game, as the mid-range has been dialed in for him recently. He's more comfortable living in the area of the floor, and once the three-point shot develops, he's going to be a really hard player to guard.

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Cooper Flagg Breaking Out as a Star for Mavericks

Cooper Flagg was given the Western Conference Rookie of the Month award for October and November, which is impressive considering he started the season at point guard, a position he had never played in his life. It was a little bit of a slower start as he tried to adjust to that role.

But once Ryan Nembhard was promoted to the starting lineup, everything became a lot easier for their first overall pick. He's been able to thrive back on the wing, get out and finish in transition, take advantage on back cuts, and now he's starting to be more comfortable with his shot selection. He still needs to improve his three-point shot, as teams are daring him to shoot from out there for now, but that's really the only flaw in his game.

There are some times when Flagg needs to be more aggressive when hunting for his own shot, as he often thinks he needs to just make the right play and pass it off, when the right play would usually be for him to just take the shot.

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