The former Duke standout was brilliant in Cooper Flagg’s NBA Summer League debut. Former UNC player RJ Davis did not, however, on the opposite side of the court.
The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Los Angeles Lakers last night, and Cooper Flagg, a Duke legend, made his NBA debut. Flagg was almost unstoppable on both ends of the floor with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block. But Flagg’s performance was enhanced by one stat line.
RJ Davis, a former guard for North Carolina, took the court for the Lakers, and the Tar Heels struggled… a lot. In his NBA Summer League debut, RJ Davis struggles. Davis only played seven minutes on the floor after coming off the bench (Flagg was worthy of the start). He only managed three points on one of four shots, including a humiliating missed layup that went over the backboard. The finest aspect? Flagg improved his record over the former Tar Heel to 4-0 with the Mavs’ victory against the Lakers, solidifying his supremacy over Davis.
DJ Steward, a shooting guard who was undrafted in 2021 and has played extensively in the NBA G-League, also dressed up for Los Angeles on Thursday night, so Flagg wasn’t the only Blue Devil playing.
In his 26 minutes on the court, Steward scored 14 points, pulled down seven rebounds, contributed five assists, and dished out two steals for the Lakers. The only players who scored more points than the former Duke guard were Cole Swider and Dalton Knecht, a former Tennessee standout. Additionally noteworthy was Tyrese Proctor, a Duke legend who started and played an amazing 28 minutes in his NBA debut for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs lost against the Indiana Pacers, and he finished with 14 points, two assists, two steals, and one rebound.
When the Lakers play the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday, July 12, Flagg and the team will return to action. ESPN2 and ESPN+ will broadcast the game, which is set to start at 8:30 p.m. ET.
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