Guard Kyrie Irving has yet to play on the court with Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg as he’s been rehabbing a torn ACL all season, but he likes what he sees so far of the 19-year-old from the sidelines.
Irving believes Flagg has established a new era in Dallas and that he’ll be “chasing history” throughout his career. That’s a pretty strong compliment from a veteran in the game who’s played with a multitude of NBA legends.
“Cooper is just an amazing player, and that’s not even just gassing it,” Irving said, via Dallas Hoops Journal. “At 19 years old, doing the things that he’s doing within our league is very special… I don’t want to mince my words either. He’s doing things that some of the greats, even before him, didn’t do. He’s chasing history.”
Flagg has already made some NBA history in his rookie season. He’s the only player other than LeBron James to score 35 points in a game at age 18, and he was the youngest to ever do so. A few weeks ago, Flagg scored 49 points, which is the most scored by a player before they turned 20. He’s the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award, and with these accomplishments, it’s easy to understand why.
Irving isn’t the first NBA star to be impressed by Flagg this season, and he certainly won’t be the last if Flagg continues to play at the same level he’s performed so far this season. Players like Rockets forward Kevin Durant, Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, and Warriors guard Stephen Curry all praised Flagg after they competed against him this season. There are six NBA MVP awards spread out amongst the three of them—that’s got to be exciting for Flagg to hear from across the league.