Jason Kidd had plenty of praise for Cooper Flagg after his record-setting night, though he could not resist taking a playful shot at Luka Doncic.
Flagg has started to find his stride after a rough start to his rookie season, stringing together some solid performances for the Dallas Mavericks.
Recently, he set the rookie scoring record and became the youngest player ever to score 40 points in an NBA game, taking down records held by LeBron James.
Despite the impressive numbers, Flagg was more focused on Dallas’ loss than celebrating his own achievement.
Coach Kidd did not hold back when praising Flagg’s maturity, while also using it as an opportunity to apparently take a subtle jab at Doncic.
Jason Kidd highlights Cooper Flagg’s two-way play
Kidd joined SiriusXM’s NBA Radio to talk about Flagg’s standout performance against the Utah Jazz.
He was impressed by how the rookie competed on both ends of the floor, saying he plays the game the right way and brings effort on offence and defence.
“He’s special. We didn’t get the win, but he gave everything he had, both ends of the floor. When you talk about an 18-year-old playing the game the right way, he’s the one.
“Being able to shoot the three, get to the rim, and free-throw line, he did everything for us in that Utah game. You can see, every time he takes the floor, he gets better.
“We play Detroit tomorrow, who are a physical team. We understand that they’ll be physical with him and I think he understands what physicality is in the NBA.”
Doncic faced plenty of criticism during his Mavericks tenure for his conditioning and defensive effort.
Therefore, Kidd’s comments have led some fans to wonder if there was a bit of a jab aimed at the Slovenian star.
Dallas Mavericks staff should move past Luka Doncic and focus on the future
There is still plenty of support for Doncic among Dallas Mavericks fans, but inside the organisation, it is not unusual to hear subtle jabs directed his way.
After Doncic made noticeable changes to his physique, Kidd commented on their competitive relationship this season. He also mentioned that the Slovenian guard had finally come around to understanding how important conditioning is in the league.
Meanwhile, Doncic has spoken openly about what it means emotionally to play against the Mavericks and has made it clear he still holds a lot of affection for both the team and its supporters.
Rather than taking every opportunity to criticise him in defence of Nico Harrison’s controversial decision to trade him, the best approach for Dallas would be to simply move forward and leave the comments behind.
- READ MORE: Cooper Flagg’s 40-point explosion puts him in elite category, only four players were faster
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