The Dallas Mavericks are widely considered to be one of the NBA's most underachieving teams this season with a record of 11-17 and coach Jason Kidd facing the heat. The Mavs' struggles have been offset by the emergence of rookie sensation Cooper Flagg who has flashed elite scoring skills in recent weeks to go with his elite playmaking skills.

Cooper Flagg says "loyalty" is important. Mavs fans will appreciate this, but there may be bittersweet feelings after the Luka Doncic trade.

Coach Jason Kidd revealed some of the conversations the team has had with the rookie sensation as he finds his way in the NBA.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/mavericks/onsi as Dallas Mavericks' Cooper Flagg passes Hall-of-Famer in NBA history against Jazz.

It's too early to determine Flagg's long-term status, but his rookie numbers are comparable to those LeBron James had for his rookie season.

Cade Cunningham offered a candid assessment of rookie Cooper Flagg ahead of Pistons vs. Mavericks, praising his mindset and early NBA impact.

Flagg is already a really good NBA player, but how does he stack up compared to his peers? ESPN ranked the top 25 players under 25 years old based on long-term potential, and had Cooper Flagg 8th, only behind Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Edwards, Cade Cunningham, Jalen Williams, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and Evan Mobley.

Lately, Cooper Flagg has gone above and beyond the call of duty. The rookie sensation for the Dallas Mavericks has been entrusted with the of starting point guard role. With that will come a certain amount of criticism as to whether the No.1 pick coming off one year at Duke has what it takes.