How many games will Cooper Flagg play in summer league? Mavericks coach reveals plan
Flagg was the AP national college player of the year at Duke, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks on 38.5% shooting from 3-point range. He became the 22nd player in program history to be named a consensus first-team All-American.
The 6-foot-8 standout is expected to debut on Thursday in a highly anticipated matchup against Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers (8 p.m. EDT, ESPN). After that contest, though, it is uncertain how many games Flagg will ultimately play in during the event.
"We'll take it day by day," Mavericks summer league coach Josh Broghamer said after practice on Tuesday. "Once we get out to Vegas, (we'll) kind of figure out the schedule and see how he does starting with the Lakers and then kind of go from there."
Flagg officially became the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft on June 25 after establishing himself as the face of college basketball last season. He arrives with plenty of hype as the top pick and a potential generational talent following a dazzling freshman year.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said on June 27 that he wants to do everything he can to ensure Flagg can reach his full potential on the court. They want to push Flagg and put the ball in his hands often, something that he is excited to experiment with in the desert.
"I'm looking forward to it," Flagg said. "I think (Duke) coach (Jon) Scheyer trusted me a lot last year, and I handled it a lot. I didn't bring it up a ton, but in the half-court, I handled it a lot and set up a lot of different actions. I think it is something that I can do at a high level, so I'm excited to experiment and do some different things."
The Maine native is viewed as a generational prospect because of his size, athleticism and ability to affect games on both ends of the court. He is also highly regarded for his ability to process plays in real-time and his decision-making with the ball in his hands.
Flagg will be a focal point for the Mavericks on both ends of the court. The organization will be watching to see how he adjusts to the increased competition level in front of a national audience, and the 18-year-old appears to be embracing the moment.
"I'm excited," Flagg said. "I've been in the gym with the guys. (I've) got to know a bunch of them, so I'm just excited to get out there, get back on the court and play some 5 on 5."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
NBA Summer League 2025: Schedule, key players to watch including Cooper Flagg vs. Bronny James
The NBA Summer League has arrived. The appetizers took place in Salt Lake City and California's Bay Area, with the main course starting Thursday, July 10, in Las Vegas. That's where all 30 NBA teams descend on the city with their rosters of young players trying to get a foothold in the league. It's an NBA event like any other, where fans can get closer to players (more like MLB spring training) than they usually can. Here is everything you need to know about the 2025 NBA Summer League. Advertisement Where is the NBA Summer League 2025? Las Vegas. That's the short answer. The more detailed answer is that there are actually three Summer Leagues. First, there are a couple of appetizers — the Salt Lake City Summer League (hosted by the Jazz) and the California Classic (played at the Warriors' Chase Center in San Francisco). This summer, those featured the first games for No. 3 pick VJ Edgecombe of the 76ers and No. 5 pick Ace Bailey of the Jazz. Then comes the main course — the Las Vegas Summer League. Sin City has been the primary home of the NBA Summer League since 2004, although that first year had just six teams. Now, all 30 teams come to the desert in July, and the games are played in one of two connected arenas on the UNLV campus. Every game is broadcast nationally, and the NBA Summer League has become a convention for the league and a bucket-list item for big NBA fans. Here's what you need to know about the 2025 NBA Las Vegas Summer League. Advertisement What is the NBA Summer League schedule? All 30 teams play at least four games in the Las Vegas Summer League. To see the full schedule of group-play games, just follow this link. What is the point of the NBA Summer League? While the NBA has turned Summer League into a profit center (low-wage players, packed arenas, broadcast rights), it remains an important part of a team's offseason development — and it can be critical for some players, especially those trying to get noticed and/or earn a roster spot. The point of Summer League depends on the player and their situation. • Rookies with NBA contracts: For the first-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft, as well as second-rounders who signed an NBA deal, Summer League is a measuring stick. Teams bring in their young players, work them out in their system, and put them in a professional game to see where things stand. While there is a strong temptation among fans and media to draw broad conclusions — and certainly strengths and weaknesses are on full display — what matters is improvement. For example, Utah's No. 5 pick Ace Bailey struggled in his Utah Summer League debut but looked much better in his second game. That growth is what matters to teams. Also, how a player looks this summer is a baseline, teams want to see how much better they look at Summer League a year from now. Advertisement For the biggest names — Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe, etc. — teams don't want to risk an injury, so they traditionally only play a couple of games and are shut down. • Second-year players: If the first year at Summer League sets a baseline for a rookie, the second year becomes a chance to measure how far that player has progressed. Something to watch: Players who received regular NBA run as rookies and then return to Summer League should dominate the game, they should have risen beyond this level. If they don't, it's a red flag. Also, for some second-year players, it's a chance to try out a new role their team couldn't give them during the regular season. For example, the Lakers put the ball in Dalton Knecht's hands at the California Classic and asked him to run the offense and be a shot creator, something they could not do during the regular season with Doncic and LeBron on the court. • Undrafted players/guys without a contract for next season. The best stories of Summer League are the unexpected standouts nobody saw coming. Maybe the most classic example of this was everyone showing up to watch No. 1 pick John Wall at Summer League and walking away saying, "Who is this Jeremy Lin kid?" Or watching a player such as Austin Reaves stand out enough with the Lakers that he played his way into a two-way contract with the team (and eventually became a key part of their rotation). Advertisement These players without contracts after the summer make up the vast majority of players in Las Vegas. These are the guys diving after loose balls and hustling at every step because they are playing for their next contract (that can also lead to some questionable shot selection and decisions as guys try to do too much). Some of those contracts will be in the G League, and many of them will be playing overseas next season. That is part of the quiet business going on at Summer League, there are a lot of international scouts looking at players not quite ready to make an NBA roster who would be the standout star of a mid-sized European club. When is Cooper Flagg's NBA Summer League debut? No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg is scheduled to make his debut Thursday night, July. 10, at 8 ET when the Dallas Mavericks take on the Los Angeles Lakers (the game will be broadcast on ESPN). Flagg's second game is scheduled for Saturday at 4 ET (ESPN), when he and the Mavericks take on No. 2 pick Dylan Harper and the San Antonio Spurs. Often stars such as Flagg are shut down by the team after a game or two of Summer League, but if he plays (or, if he doesn't) the rest of the Dallas schedule is July 14 vs. Charlotte (6:30 ET, NBATV) and July 16 vs. Philadelphia at 8 ET (ESPN). Advertisement Is Bronny James playing in the NBA Summer League? Yes — in fact, he's already played a couple of games. Bronny scored 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting (2-of-7 from beyond the arc) in two games in the California Classic. He also did this: In Las Vegas, his first game will be a highly anticipated matchup against Flagg and the Mavericks on Thursday night, July 10, at 8 ET (broadcast on ESPN). It's unclear how many more games Bronny will play after that. The rest of the Lakers' Las Vegas schedule is as follows: Saturday, July 12, vs. New Orleans (8:30 ET on ESPN2), July 14 vs. the Clippers at 10:30 ET (NBATV), and July 17 vs. Boston (9:00 ET, ESPN). Advertisement Cooper Flagg vs Bronny James preview This social media dream matchup is the most anticipated game of the 2025 NBA Summer League – the 17,923-seat Thomas & Mack Center is already sold out. According to TickPick , the current "get-in" price for a Thursday Summer League ticket is $83, which jumps to $643 for the lower bowl in the Thomas & Mack, and courtside tickets are going for $2,519. Bronny and Flagg will not be directly matched up much (Bronny is a guard, Flagg a forward), but both are defense-first players who thrive when playing in transition — this could be an entertaining, up-and-down contest. With Bronny, remember that what matters is improvement — how much better is he now than a year ago? He's not there yet, but is he making strides toward being an NBA rotation player? That's what the Lakers want to see. Advertisement One other thing to remember, this is Flagg's and Dallas' first Summer League game, they will be trying to shake things out, while this is the Lakers' fourth game, and they have developed a rhythm. That could lead to a rough opening night for Flagg. If it happens, don't read too much into it — Victor Wembanyama had a rough first outing at Summer League (Kai Jones dunked all over him, we all blamed his flirtation with Brittney Spears for throwing his game off). Wemby turned out to be okay. How much do NBA Summer League players get paid? Not much, although like NBA regular season salaries, it depends on who we're talking about. For players under NBA contracts — such as No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg and other high draft picks, or returning players like Bronny James— playing in Summer League is part of their contract and is generally covered by the CBA. The NBA does have "summer contracts" that are essentially make-good contracts — play well enough, and this can become an Exhibit 10 (a training camp contract plus a bonus for signing with the team's G-League franchise when waived) or an Exhibit 9 (a training camp invite). Keep playing well, keep impressing the coach and front office, and these make good contracts could eventually see the player on an NBA roster. Most of the players on a Summer League roster eventually sign in the G-League or to play overseas. Advertisement The players also receive a $125 per day per diem for food or any other expenses they choose to incur. NBA Summer League champions, MVPs by year Winning it all isn't the primary goal for teams heading into Summer League, but these are competitive people, and when a prize is put in front of them, they go all out for it. Here is a list of past Las Vegas Summer League winners: 2024 Miami Heat 2023 Cleveland Cavaliers 2022 Portland Trail Blazers 2021 Sacramento Kings 2020 Cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic) 2019 Memphis Grizzlies 2018 Portland Trail Blazers 2017 Los Angeles Lakers 2016 Chicago Bulls 2015 San Antonio Spurs 2014 Sacramento Kings 2013 Golden State Warriors Advertisement Here's a list of former Las Vegas Summer League MVPs: 2024 Jalen Wilson (Brooklyn Nets) 2023 Cam Whitmore (Houston Rockets) 2022 Keegan Murray (Sacramento Kings) 2021 Co-MVPs Davion Mitchell (Sacramento Kings), Cameron Thomas (Brooklyn Nets) 2020 Cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic) 2019 Brandon Clarke (Memphis Grizzlies) 2018 Josh Hart (Los Angeles Lakers) 2017 Lonzo Ball (Los Angeles Lakers) 2016 Tyus Jones (Minnesota Timberwolves) 2015 Kyle Anderson (San Antonio Spurs) 2014 Glen Rice Jr. (Washington Wizards) 2013 Jonas Valančiūnas (Toronto Raptors) 2012 C0-MVPs, Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers), Josh Selby (Memphis Grizzlies)
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Ireland's Leona Maguire records first LPGA ace at Evian to hold share of lead
Leona Maguire picked a fine time to record her first LPGA ace. The 30-year-old Irishwoman holed out with a 8-iron from 164 yards on the picturesque, downhill second hole at the Evian Resort Golf Club, overlooking Lake Geneva. The timely one boosted Maguire to an opening 6-under 65 and a share of the early lead with Andrea Lee in the fourth major of the season. "Looked good in the air," said Maguire. "You're never sure on that hole until the ball actually lands. Sort of a perfect morning for it. Not much wind which is nice, especially on that tee box." Maguire actually holds a share of the 18-hole course record at the Amundi Evian after carding a scorching 61 in 2021. The experience, on a course that requires it, meant a great deal after a fun but tiring week at the KPMG Women's Irish Open, which qualifies as a "mini major" for her. This marks the fifth consecutive week of competition for Maguire, dating back to the Meijer LPGA Classic, and she welcomed the rare chance to have the pro-am off this week in France. "It was also my first not being in the pro-am in a about four, five years, so that was also a nice break," said Maguire. "So also not a panic, I guess, as much of a scramble to try and get as much in as you possibly can Monday through Wednesday. It was nice to be quite fresh this morning, almost." Maguire began her first round on the 10th hole with bogey and quickly rebounded with birdie on the second. With five birdies and an ace on the day, the former Duke star hit 15 greens, 11 fairways and needed only 27 putts in her opening round. "I think you have to be very patient, very accepting," said Maguire of what it takes to be successful at Evian. "You know you're not going to get a flat lie out there. You'll get some iffy bounces. "Did a really good job staying patient. Hit what I thought was a perfect tee shot down 6 and ended up in a divot. You have to accept things like that."
New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
Nikola Topić, Bronny James and more non-rookies to watch at Las Vegas Summer League
Cooper Flagg is playing! OK, now that I've gotten that out of the way, I'm here to inform you that many other notable players who are not Flagg will take the floor at Las Vegas Summer League, including several who aren't rookies at all. I know this is a shock to the system, because summer league is usually about rookies. After all, this is the first chance for fans to see how all the lottery picks will look on an NBA floor. By the time a young player's second and third seasons have rolled around, we know a lot more about them … usually. Advertisement But not always. Take Nikola Topić, for instance. He is an NBA champion, and in three months, he'll play his first regular-season NBA game. The Oklahoma City guard spent his entire rookie season watching from the sidelines while rehabbing a knee injury and is only now in playing shape. Even in June, the Thunder weren't sure he'd be ready for summer league. Yes, the Thunder won a championship while they had a lottery pick redshirting. It's one of many reasons why this team looks stacked for the next several seasons and perhaps beyond. And Topić is ready now. The 6-foot-6 Serbian took the court for each of the Thunder's first three summer games in Salt Lake City, the preamble to the 'main event' when all 30 teams play in Las Vegas starting Thursday. If you thought he would go through some growing pains while playing in his first games in over a year, you were right. Topić shot 11 for 37 and had more turnovers (17) than assists (15). Bright spots included six steals, and beyond the stats, the tape showed some good stuff: Topić's ability to quickly push in transition at his size stands out, and he can make one-handed passes with either hand. That's one of the reasons it will be interesting to see him live: Size and speed stand out in person and are much harder to sense through a TV set. When I caught up with Topić during the NBA Finals in June, he was enjoying the ride with the Thunder but champing at the bit to get on the court. 'I can't wait to get in a game.' Topić said. '(But) it's been amazing just to be a part of this team, it's really fun, just to be around these guys. I didn't think that we were going to be so connected and have such good chemistry.' Topić also has a perfect mentor as a big guard in teammate Alex Caruso, who took him under his wing and showed him the ropes. Advertisement 'Advice on a regular basis,' Topić said. 'Mental stuff about the league. It's a new environment for us rookies.' Now he finally gets to put some of those tips into practice, and fans will get a chance to see right away. Topić and the Thunder will play on the first day of summer league when they take on the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday afternoon. So, circling back to my main topic (see what I did there?), Topić is the biggest name to watch of the non-rookies in Vegas, but he's not the only one. Here are some other second- or third-year players I'll have a close eye on: An observer during Indiana's march to the finals, Furphy suddenly becomes an important player for the Pacers in the wake of offseason changes to Indiana's roster. The 6-7 Australian was an early second-round pick in 2024 on whom I had a lottery rating. I'm partial here, but we just didn't see a lot of him in his rookie season. He only played 379 minutes for the Pacers and was mostly a bystander, with just a 13.0 percent usage rate, and he only saw 10 games in the G League. This summer, however, Furphy should have a lot more responsibility and a chance to stake his claim to rotation minutes at age 20. He'll need to show he can create a reasonably efficient offense with more regular reps on the ball. The sixth pick in the 2024 draft was in a perfect situation for a young rookie, on a rebuilding team that needed to give him all the developmental minutes he could handle. Alas, 'handle' is in the eye of the beholder, as Salaun didn't exactly force the Hornets to keep him on the court even in their dilapidated state. He finished with a ghastly 7.7 PER on 33.3 percent shooting from the field in 60 games He's only 19 and was in his first year over from France; the Salaun pick was never about immediate output. Nonetheless, the Hornets need to see something. This summer might give us better insight into whether the idea of Salaun as an athletic 3-and-D combo forward has real traction or is just, well, an idea. The 2024 lottery pick missed all of last year's summer league while he rehabbed a shoulder injury, one that knocked him out until midseason and left him behind the curve once he returned. Shooting and scoring in particular were problems, as he finished at 29.5 percent from 3 and 43.9 percent on 2s. Advertisement Carter played as an undersized shooting guard at Providence, but his best chance of sticking at the NBA level is at point guard, where his scrappy defense and plus rebounding are more likely to give him an edge, and his size won't be a liability. But can he make enough shots and create enough space off the bounce to run an offense? We'll get a good test. Summer league in 2025 can't go any worse for Holmes than 2024 summer league did … right? For those who don't remember, Holmes tore his Achilles tendon in his first appearance as a Nugget and missed the entire season. The stretch big from Dayton has a chance to make an impact as a change-of-pace center or big forward if he can regain the form that made him a late first-round pick in 2024, especially because the Nuggets are starved for both shooting and frontcourt quality. Speaking of which … Apologies for over-indexing on Nuggets, but we need to talk about Jones. He was perhaps the best two-way player in the league who wasn't promoted to a roster spot last season, instead returning to the Nuggets on another two-way contract. He'll have to battle his way into minutes on a talented roster that is in win-now mode, but the 6-7 forward might have enough chops as a shooter to pull it off. Jones shot 50 percent from 3 in the G League last year after making 40.9 percent his senior year at Stanford, and he's not just a one-note player. He's also an active defender who averaged three 'stocks' (steals + blocks) per game in his 11 G League contests last season. He only got 125 minutes with the Nuggets, nearly all in garbage time, but Denver's thin bench means the opportunity could be there. Welcome to the most provisional roster spot in the league. Hukporti has a non-guaranteed deal worth $1.98 million, but at the moment has total roster security because keeping the 2024 late second-rounder is the only way the Knicks can stay below the second apron. Alas, that job security is only for a few months. Take a closer look at Guerschon Yabusele's deal for just south of the taxpayer midlevel exception: It left the Knicks enough wiggle room to not only sign a veteran into their 14th roster spot but also to waive Hukporti before his guarantee date in January and sign a veteran for the second half of the season. Advertisement If New York cuts him in January, waits the maximum 14 days to fill the roster spot and signs a vet for the rest of the season, I have the Knicks clearing the bar with enough room to also sign a veteran to their 15th roster spot on the last day of the season. (Alternatively, the Knicks could also send cash to another team to take Hukporti off their hands and then backfill the roster spot with a veteran, something they can do as early as December.) Anyway, the best way for Hukporti to avert this outcome is to show out in summer league. No pressure. James has a fully guaranteed deal this year, but after that, everything is up in the air. If LeBron James isn't a Laker after this season, it's hard to see them keep riding with Bronny unless he's earned his stripes by then; next year's deal is only 50 percent guaranteed. Right now, James is threading a tight needle as a 6-2 3-and-D guy; either the 3 or the D part needs to be pretty exceptional to overcome his height and limited ballhandling. The other pathway for him to become a keeper is to improve his handle enough that he can legitimately play point guard. Historically, that's an uncommon development after age 20. James played in two games in the California Classic but only played 25 total minutes and didn't make much of an impression aside from one cool dunk; we hopefully will see a good deal more of him in Vegas. The rare third-year player showing up at summer league, Bufkin had a rough summer in his 2023 rookie season and has been plagued by injuries ever since, only appearing in 27 games over his first two seasons. He also didn't exactly set the league afire in those 27 contests (13-of-59 from 3, 9.7 career PER). The Hawks haven't quite moved on from him yet, but they're not exactly gift-wrapping minutes for him either. He'll need to earn it. Part of that is coming to Vegas and showing he can run an offense, get to the rim and beat shot blockers and hit enough jumpers to keep defenses honest. Bufkin has defensive potential if he can get his offense to an acceptable level, although his slight build already puts him at a disadvantage on this roster (it's tough to play him and Trae Young at the same time). Right now, however, Bufkin needs to settle the question of whether he should play at all, and whether Atlanta should pick up his fourth-year option for $6.9 million. Selected late in the 2024 first round as a 24-year-old rookie, the thought was that Scheierman might be able to help right away, given his age. That didn't play out in his rookie season, when most of his 31 appearances came at the end of blowouts. Scheierman showed a bit more promise in his 14 G League games, hitting 41.1 percent from 3 with two dimes for every turnover and will have to display that mix of shooting and secondary ballhandling in Vegas. If he can make an impression, there is a wide-open pathway to minutes on a strip-mined Celtics roster missing Jayson Tatum and a traded Jrue Holiday. Advertisement Utah drafted five players in the first 35 picks in the 2023 and 2024 drafts. Other than Kyle Filipowski, can any of them play? That's the question we're hoping Collier and Williams can answer more positively this summer. (Of the other two, Taylor Hendricks is still injured, and Keyonte George is not playing.) Collier needs to shoot better and tighten up his decision-making on the ball, but he made progress last season. His best plays are outrageous, but he's still too inconsistent. Let's be honest, I'm listing him here mainly so I can include this pass. Of particular interest, however, is Williams. A 2024 lottery pick at 10th, one pick ahead of Matas Buzelis, I don't think it's an exaggeration to say he was the worst roster player in the league last season. The Jazz drafted him knowing he was a developmental pick, but a 3.7 PER on 41.9 percent true shooting? Yikes. Filling out physically will help Williams deal with the physicality that so easily threw him off as a rookie, but he also needs to shoot and finish a lot better. The shot isn't broken, so the 25.9 percent mark from 3 is likely an outlier on the downside, but that wasn't the only issue. Williams struggles getting into pull-ups, and his half-court game off the dribble is, shall we say, still developing. The Jazz need to see some progress in Year 2, or the other first-rounders Utah brings in during this rebuild will quickly pass him. He had two double-figure games in his three outings in Salt Lake City, so … baby steps? I don't want to print the phone book here, but while I have your attention, let me close by circling a few other names to file away for summer league. First, five more potential guys who could take a big step up this summer: On the other side, here are five more names who are in sink/swim territory and looking for the lifejackets:
