Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, made his NBA Summer League debut on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Lakers. And to put it bluntly, it was far from the kind of performance most were expecting from Flagg.
Flagg comes into the NBA as one of the most hyped up NBA prospects in recent memory. So naturally, expectations were high from Flagg in his first sneak peek of NBA action on Thursday night.
Unfortunately, Flagg struggled pretty massively on the offensive side of the ball, making just 5 0f his 21 shot attempts from the field, notably missing all five of his three-point attempts.
Cooper Flagg in his Summer League debut:
10 Points
5 Rebounds
3 Assists
3 Steals
5/21 FGM
0/5 3PM pic.twitter.com/uZnuf4uzLm— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) July 11, 2025
Much of Flagg’s hype coming into the NBA was how NBA-ready he was, specifically on the defensive side of the ball. And that largely shined through on Thursday night, recording three steals and a block in the game.
However, many fans were obviously less than impressed with what Flagg showed on the offensive side of the ball on Thursday night, which many voiced on social media after the game.
Cooper Flagg struggling, his offense gone take sometime.
— KERRIE 🇰🇪🏁🐍 (@KdubSoSolid) July 11, 2025
Cooper Flagg is trash lol
— RUI FANATIC (@therealselena23) July 11, 2025
Cooper Flagg got locked up by Bronny? pic.twitter.com/1BgWKyzEow
— ☭ omBrad S☘️evens (@comBradStevens) July 11, 2025
After the game, Flagg admitted that his Summer League debut wasn’t up to his standards. In fact, he actually called it “one of the worst games of his life”.
“That might be one of the worst games of my life,”said Flagg. “But we got the win — so that’s what really matters to me.”
Cooper Flagg called his summer league debut “one of the worst games of my life,” but he’s glad the #Mavs escaped with the win. pic.twitter.com/gZ7A7jIr06
— Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) July 11, 2025
It’s far too early to judge how Flagg’s game will transition to the NBA level based off of just this game. After all, he isn’t the first hyped up rookie to struggle in his Summer League debut. Victor Wenbanyama similarly struggled to score in his Summer League debut just two years ago, only to go on to have what appears to be a superstar-caliber NBA career.
Still, Flagg will certainly look to show far more in his next Summer League outing.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.