Cooper Flagg has been keeping the Dallas Mavericks afloat during this challenging 2025-2026 season. With him at the helm, the Mavericks are 12th in the Western Conference with a 19-26 record.
He is the best player on the team right now, averaging 18.8 points on 47.8 percent shooting, 6.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists. However, despite his consistent all-around game and defensive versatility, many have expressed concern about Flagg’s struggles from the 3-point line.
NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki is all too familiar with Flagg’s situation, having struggled from long range himself when he entered the league in 1998. And with how his 21-year career turned out, he said, it’s all the more reason for Dallas fans to keep banking their future on Flagg.
“Nobody here in Dallas is worried about his three-ball,” he said on NBA on Prime. “I think that’s something that will come.”
Rookie Dirk was a poor 3-point shooter
Nowitzki’s comments should offer Flagg a sense of comfort. After all, the German star ended his career as an MVP, Finals MVP and multiple All-Star selections under his belt.
However, before he reached that legendary status, Nowitzki revealed that he, too, had some rough beginnings shooting-wise, which is ironic considering he made a Hall of Fame career out of it.
“Quick fun fact: my rookie season I shot 29% from three,” he said. “I ended up being okay, so we’re not worried about Cooper’s three-ball.”
Actually, Dirk shot even worse than that, shooting 20.6 percent from deep on 1.4 attempts, his career-worst. He steadily improved his numbers, with his best shooting year coming in the 2009-2010 season (42.1 percent).
Nowitzki finished with 1,982 career 3-pointers made on an efficient 38.0 percent clip and is seventh in the all-time scoring list. For an all-time great shooter to start the way the 19-year-old did just proves that the Mavs should not worry about Flagg’s early numbers.
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Entering the NBA, Flagg was considered by NBA scouts as an elite shooter. However, he failed to show glimpses of this ability from deep, as he had to play out of position at the beginning of the season, preventing him from focusing solely on shooting.
“He had a lot on his plate early on in the season with running the point guard, trying to get the ball to everyone,” Nowitzki said.
But now, he is back to playing forward, his original position, and he is continuously improving his 3-ball. Per ESPN stats, Flagg shot a poor 26.7 percent from deep in his first month in the league, which further dropped to 25.0 percent in November, where he attempted a career-high 4.0 3s per game.
Then, the next month, his number would rise to 33.3 percent on 3.0 attempts per game. His January 2026 clip has slightly dipped to 30.5 percent, but boosting his numbers by more than five percent in a few months is impressive.
More importantly, it confirms Nowtizki’s projection that Flagg would eventually find his shooting touch.
“He’s been more comfortable, I’d say, stepping into shots. It’s not like he’s changed any of his shooting clinic, or shooting form,” Nowitizki said. “He’s just stepping into it with a little more confidence. He’s been in a great rhythm since he’s moved more to his normal spot.”
Flagg barely has hair on his chest, but he is already playing like a veteran. He will undoubtedly keep honing his 3-point shot, and sooner or later he will be shooting the lights out like the great Nowitzki – the legend himself is confident of it.
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0About the author
Bjorn Del B. Deade
NBA Writer at Basketball Network