Flagg, James headline record-setting night at NBA Summer League

LAS VEGAS – It’s only fitting that Cooper Flagg, nicknamed “The Maine Event”, made his professional hoops debut in a city that’s synonymous with marquee billings. It’s even more fitting that the debut came against Bronny James Jr. and the Los Angeles Lakers, the only other truly magnetic draw in this year’s Summer League field.

After all of the smoke cleared and the hype waned, the Mavericks beat the Lakers 87-85 in a game that started fast for both headliners but left both with sour tastes. Dallas took the lead for good with 1:03 remaining, after Flagg blocked DJ Steward’s lay-up with the Mavericks trailing by two points before finding a wide-open Andrew Nembhard for the game-winning triple. 

The Lakers put the ball in Bronny's hand in an iso spot on the final possession, allowing the 20-year-old a chance to break down Dallas' Gabe McGlothan with the game on the line. Bronny put a little too much English on his 3-point attempt, however, and it clanked off the back of the rim. 

Despite record-high ticket prices that rivaled this year’s NBA Finals, the atmosphere in the gym was far from posh and was arguably the most charged-up it’s been for an event at the Thomas & Mack Center on this side of the decade. And for a few minutes there, it felt like both headliners were going to deliver blockbuster performances.

Flagg’s debut felt like it was going to be an introduction that would hold a lasting space in our collective basketball memories after an explosive start, but three of his five made field goals came in what was an already inefficient (3 of 9) first quarter. His efficiency continued to be an issue, as he finished a disappointing 5 of 21 from the field overall (0 of 5 from 3-point range). 

The No.1 overall pick was pleased with the win but ultimately dismayed by his performance. 

“I would say that might be one of the worst games of my life,” Flagg said. “We got the win, so that's what really matters to me. I just couldn’t really get into a rhythm. It's a different environment, I think it's obviously very different from college. It's probably very different from what the real NBA is going to be like. I'm not necessarily worried, but I'm obviously just not happy with how it went.”

Bronny also had troubles with efficiency, finishing with eight points on 2-of-8 shooting. Still, he looked like a completely different player than he did on this same stage a year ago, so much so that he could find himself in an increased role in Los Angeles this coming season. Bronny started the game hot and scored the Lakers’ first five points, which was no small contribution to the powder keg atmosphere in the arena, but his efficiency also dipped down the stretch. 

On one particular possession in the second quarter, Brony put some impressive defensive pressure on Flagg and forced him into what should have been a clean turnover before a tacky foul call bailed out the top pick. 

Cole Swider, a Villanova and Syracuse alum who went undrafted in 2022, led all scorers with 22 points as he buried six 3-pointers on nine attempts. Creighton turned Gonzaga product Ryan Nembhard led Dallas with 21 points on 8 of 14 shooting, proving that the league now has a second Nembhard problem on its hands after Andrew’s breakout performance in the NBA playoffs.