The highlight actually was on Mavericks star Cooper Flagg when he took the ground at TD Backyard on Friday evening for his first professional basketball sport in Boston.
However the evening didn’t belong to only Flagg, a Maine native who grew up cheering for the Celtics and drew loud ovations from household, mates and followers who made the journey all the way down to see him. The 19-year-old needed to share the stage with Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who made his highly anticipated return after rupturing his Achilles final Could.
That was greater than high-quality with Flagg, although, given his particular relationship with Tatum.
“It’s unimaginable,” Flagg mentioned following the 120-100 loss to the Celtics. “There have been so many ranges to it. He was anyone I idolized rising up and watched him undergo ranges and ranks and watched him at Duke. Sort of been following in his footsteps, go and play for (Jon) Scheyer at Duke, after which clearly coming into the league. That is surreal. It’s actually particular only for me to have this expertise.”
It didn’t take lengthy for Flagg and Tatum to grow to be face-to-face on the court docket. Proper off the opening tipoff, Flagg discovered himself guarding Tatum on the wing. However at that time, it was all nearly basketball for the teenage phenom.
Flagg ended up scoring 16 factors on an inefficient 7-for-23 capturing whereas additionally totaling eight rebounds, six assists and three turnovers in half-hour. It was simply Flagg’s second sport again — on the second evening of a back-to-back, too — after lacking eight straight video games resulting from a left midfoot sprain.
Flagg and Tatum acquired to have one other on-court second, albeit a quick one, as soon as the ultimate buzzer sounded. Flagg and Tatum embraced and each shared phrases of encouragement for each other.
“He simply advised me to maintain going,” Flagg mentioned. “He’s been a mentor for me by my journey from Duke to now. He’s anyone I’ve been in a position to discuss to and get recommendation from. He’s simply being a mentor, he simply advised me to maintain going and I advised him the identical. I advised him that it’s unimaginable what he was in a position to do and the way fast he got here again. It’s actually unimaginable.”
Flagg is simply 51 video games into his NBA profession. The 6-foot-9, 205-pound ahead with a stellar all-around skillset that made him the No. 1 total decide in final 12 months’s draft has an extended option to go to achieve the identical standing Tatum has within the league as a perennial MVP candidate.
However Flagg has adopted Tatum’s blueprint up so far, and don’t count on him to cease now.
“It’s simply getting higher. He shared that with me,” Flagg mentioned. “I went to his camp once I was youthful. Simply studying a few of that stuff from him and his work ethic and a number of the issues that make him so particular and attempt to be taught one of the best I can from him.”
