Cooper Flagg, a favourite for the 2026 Rookie of the Year award, is dealing with the challenges of playing on a struggling Dallas Mavericks team. Despite his individual brilliance, the Mavericks’ poor performance is taking a mental toll. Flagg has acknowledged the difficulty of facing constant defeats.
Flagg’s Honest Admission About Losing
Flagg shared his struggles with the high number of defeats. “It’s definitely tough, like there was times in the start of the year where it was taking a big toll on me not personally but mentally,” he admitted. He also noted the impact on his family: “Family is freaking out, like my mom, especially like she hadn’t seen me lose that much before, so she’s worried about me, and then it’s just like you’re trying to move on each night, but it’s tough.”
The Mavericks currently have a 24-52 record and are far from playoff contention. Flagg discussed the mental implications of losing over 50 games in a season on The Old Man And Three podcast.
Isolation and Leadership
Flagg has faced isolation this season due to injuries and trades within the team. Anthony Davis played only 20 games before being traded to the Washington Wizards after a hand injury. Kyrie Irving, who tore his ACL last season, has also been absent.
The Mavericks intend for Irving to mentor Flagg upon his return next season. Thrust into a leadership role during his rookie season, Flagg is maturing through the hardships.
Learning to Lose
During his time with Duke, Flagg experienced very few losses. He is learning to cope with a high number of defeats. “You got to learn how to lose,” Flagg stated. “I think and learn how to take positives away and know that you might have another one tomorrow or you get one day. I think that was a big learning curve for me was just learning how to lose and how to bounce back a little bit quicker and kind of get over it quicker than previous. It’s just definitely a different feeling and you got to learn how to lose. For sure,” he added.
Rookie of the Year Race
Flagg is competing with his former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel for the Rookie of the Year award. Despite the competition, Flagg maintains that his friendship with Knueppel transcends any awards.
Cooper Flagg, in his sole year in college, shared the best on-court chemi