All eyes were on top overall pick Cooper Flagg as he made his much-awaited debut for the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs at American Airlines Center. Many were curious to see how Flagg would fare in his first-ever regular season game, especially against the Victor Wembanyama-led Spurs. Flagg finished with a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds, although he struggled from the field with 4-of-13 shooting. He went scoreless in the first half. His potential, however, was clearly on display, as he contributed on both ends. Fans had mixed feelings about the 18-year-old rookie’s maiden performance. “History just blinked. Cooper Flagg’s first NBA bucket ain’t just two points, it’s the start of a whole new Dallas chapter. You can feel the future hooping already,” said @PhilipsRatty. @JDCowboys2 compared Flagg’s debut with Luka Doncic’s debut with the Mavericks in 2018, perhaps implying that the former Duke star will turn out all right. Luka’s NBA debut compared to Cooper Flagg’s debut pic.twitter.com/Npnamcejmt — Jahmeir D. ✭ (@JDCowboys2) October 23, 2025 @thaddthornberry, however, made fun of Flagg with a hilarious post. Cooper Flagg when I bet US currency on him pic.twitter.com/lM1friOXox — Thaddeus thornberry (@thaddthornberry) October 23, 2025 @DeuceThomas also mocked the young forward with an iconic GIF of former NBA player Kendrick Perkins. Cooper Flagg dribbling package pic.twitter.com/rZJI1yyiVa — Deuce (@DeuceThomas) October 23, 2025 “Cooper’s just getting started!” added @onderyazici. “Y’all might disagree but Cooper Flagg, in my mind, is overrated and will just be a guy and not an All-Star or a great player like everyone is saying at the moment,” shared @alanbp159. It was only one game, but some might argue that first impressions last. Fortunately for Flagg, he still has 81 games to convince everyone that the Mavericks made the right move in picking him No. 1 overall and that he can live up to the hype. Dallas will return to action on Friday against the Washington Wizards.
