No. 1 pick Flagg laments performance in NBA debut: 'Not great'

Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg acknowledged he has plenty of room for improvement following a lackluster NBA debut against the San Antonio Spurs.

This year's No. 1 pick finished Wednesday's contest with 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting and 10 rebounds as the Spurs dominated 125-92. Flagg started at point guard for Dallas, a position he never played across his collegiate career at Duke.

"Not great," Flagg said, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "Obviously, didn't play incredibly well, but we've got to move past it, turn our focus, and start looking toward Friday (against the Washington Wizards).

Flagg didn't notch his first professional bucket until the second half and committed three turnovers in the loss. However, San Antonio's young players played pivotal roles, with Victor Wembanyama recording 40 points and 15 rebounds. Reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle also posted 22 points while tasked with defending Flagg.

Despite the numbers, Mavs head coach Jason Kidd said he was encouraged by Flagg's performance.

"I thought he played well," Kidd said. "Now, the stat line is not going to say that, but no one in this room is sitting in his shoes. As a rookie, he did fine, and he's going to learn from this game. We all will, and we'll be better next time we take the floor."