Cooper Flagg becomes youngest player in NBA history to post 50-point game
Cooper Flagg stands alone in NBA history after Friday.
The Dallas Mavericks rookie turned the youngest player in NBA history to report a 50-point game at 19 years and 103 days outdated, posting 51 factors, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and three steals in a 138-127 loss to the Orlando Magic.
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I’ve scored a few of these factors with model.
Flagg can be the ninth rookie in NBA history to post a 50-point game, becoming a member of Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry, Earl Monroe, Brandon Jennings, Elgin Baylor, Elvin Hayes, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Allen Iverson. None of these gamers have been youngsters after they reached the half-century mark.
Flagg’s previous career high was 49 pointswhich was additionally the earlier excessive in NBA history for a youngster. He has time to break the report once more, as he would not flip 20 till Dec. 21.
The Mavericks have been undoubtedly pushing for him to get there. With head coach Jason Kidd ejected for arguing with the officers over a non-call involving Flagg, assistant coach Frank Vogel took over and pulled Flagg with 3:35 left in the game.
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At that time, Flagg was at 45 factors, however Dallas was down 17 factors. The game was over, however Vogel opted to put Flagg again in the game 22 seconds later and let him go for history. It may be straightforward to disregard such an effort due to these circumstances, however let’s simply think about various youngsters have performed in the NBA they usually have been all in various uncompetitive video games sooner or later.
None of them did what Flagg did.
Could Cooper Flagg’s 50-point game swing the Rookie of the Year race?
With a 24-53 report, the Mavericks’ season has been successfully over for some time, however Flagg continues to be a Rookie of the Year candidate. As of Friday night, BetMGM has him at +165 odds to win the award, the second-best odds behind former faculty teammate Kon Knueppel.
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The two former Duke stars offered an fascinating distinction. Knueppel has been essentially the most reliable rookie in the league all season, supplying a historic level of 3-point shooting to a Charlotte Hornets team on the verge of its first playoff berth since 2015-16. That’s a compelling case.
Flagg, in the meantime, has been extra statistically productive throughout the board for a Mavericks staff that has languished all season. He has handled accidents and performed 11 fewer video games, however he is additionally exploded in methods Knueppel hasn’t. And there are nonetheless only a few individuals who would take Knueppel long-term over Flagg, regardless of how their rookie years have labored out.
It’s a dialog that may not be as over as some suppose. And a 50-point game is a heck of a method to restart the dialogue.
