Cooper

Flagg

Flagg logged one of his worst scoring games of the season on Wednesday. He shot the ball poorly and failed to make a three-pointer, while only getting three points from the charity stripe. Yet the rookie forward didn’t let his scoring struggles stop him from contributing in other areas. He was the only Mavericks player to collect double-digit rebounds, and his six assists were among the best on the team. Flagg will have a chance to close his rookie season on a higher note, as Dallas will play against San Antonio on Friday and Chicago on Sunday.

Flagg was coming off scoring 45 and 51 points in his last two games, respectively. The 19-year-old small forward was highly efficient in those games, unlike Tuesday when he had 25 points on 25 attempts from the field. Flagg has provided fourth-round per game value in his potentially Rookie of the Year campaign and he’s only going to get better from here.

Two days removed from scoring 51 points in a defeat, Flagg made more history on Sunday. The 19-year-old became the first teenager in league history to score at least 40 points in consecutive games, and he was highly efficient. In addition to the percentages, Flagg committed just two turnovers. Also, he was two rebounds and one assist shy of a triple-double. Dallas plays four games in Week 24, and the team could decide to let Flagg go all-out in hopes of beating out college teammate Kon Knueppel for Rookie of the Year.

Flagg became the first teenage player in NBA history to record a 50-point game. He thrived inside the arc, beyond it, and used a 24-point fourth quarter to help earn his record-setting night. The rookie also chipped in with four stocks on the defensive end to help showcase his versatility. Friday’s performance will only add to his Rookie of the Year case; he’ll have an opportunity to make another statement on Sunday against the Lakers.

It was another rough shooting night for Flagg, who shot 5-of-19 from the floor just 24 hours before this. However, he was able to make more of an impact in other ways in this game. This was his fourth double-double since the All-Star break, which helped make up for the subpar performance from the floor. Flagg will get a couple days off, which will hopefully help him have a better outing against the Magic on Friday.

Flagg struggled on Monday, as did many of the Mavericks’ starters. He just made it out of single figures in points in his 31 minutes of action, and failed to make much of an impact in other areas of the game. The rookie sensation has produced well throughout the season and had been playing some particularly good basketball of late. After concluding with his lowest points total since January, he’ll have a chance to bounce back on Tuesday against the Bucks.

Flagg has scored at least 21 points in three straight and six of his last eight games. Just as encouraging for fantasy managers has been that the rookie’s availability has not been an issue. Flagg has not missed a game since returning from a foot injury on March 5. Given where the Mavericks are in the standings, there may have been some fear among fantasy managers regarding a potential shutdown. Flagg continues to play, and on most nights, he has been an excellent fantasy asset.

Flagg filled up the stat sheet, though ultimately he was bested by two historic games from the Nuggets duo of Jamal Murray (53 points) and Nikola Jokic (23/21/19 triple-double). Perhaps most impressive was that the 19-year-old didn’t have any turnovers in 35 minutes. Flagg has provided sixth-round per game value over the last two weeks. The Mavericks only have one more game this week coming Friday against the Trail Blazers.

The first-year forward put together yet another strong stat line on Monday. Despite the loss, Flagg picked his spots and comfortably converted over 60.0 percent of his shot attempts before crossing the 30-point mark for the eighth time this season. His contributions as a passer were arguably as noteworthy, although he fell an assist short of earning a double-double. Even with a career-high seven turnovers, Flagg seemed comfortable in his minutes. He continues to impress down the stretch of his rookie season.

While Flagg did not have a good night shooting the basketball, going 6-of-14 from inside the arc, his production in other categories was excellent. He matched his season-high with the four blocks and also provided good value in rebounds and assists. Over the past two weeks, Flagg has provided fourth-round value in eight-cat formats. Dallas’ three-game Week 22 does not include a back-to-back, which should ensure Flagg’s availability as long as he’s healthy.