Flag s Xialian Declaration: Rejecting the Lucky No. 1 Choice

In the hot July sunshine of Las Vegas, Cooper Flagg's footsteps were particularly clear as he paved back and forth at the door of the locker room. The Mavericks No. 1 pick has just completed a performance of 31 points on 10 of 21 shots, but used his magnesium-stained palm to push open the door to the coach's office: "Please let me play another game. "

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This sudden request made the Mavericks management both surprised and relieved. According to the original plan, the new top scorer only needs to debut in Xialian two games. When playing against the Lakers in the first game, Flag made only 5 goals with 21 shots, making the comments on scouts' report that "need to adapt to the rhythm of professional games" look particularly dazzling. But when the young man scored 31 points in the second game, he was not satisfied with the beautiful numbers on the technical statistics table, but chose to launch a more fierce charge towards the doubts.

"We smiled and said to him 'You are good enough ', but his eyes clearly stated unwillingness. " the Mavericks management personnel recalled. Flag repeated stubbornly: "I don't want people to think that 31 points are just a big fortune." This young man who should have been immersed in applause insisted on continuing to prove his quality under the spotlight.

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The dramatic turning point from 10 points in the first battle to 31 points in the second battle, which became the source of Flag's anxiety. When the outside world attributes his outbreak to opponent strength or game accidentality, the 19-year-old rookie chooses to respond in the most direct way — keep fighting. This almost paranoid seriousness exposes the unique sense of crisis among top athletes: they are always worried that performance fluctuations will be interpreted as insufficient strength, and are always ready to crush all doubts with actions. The Mavericks coaching staff did not approve the third battle request, and this decision itself constitutes an intriguing footnote. The management's gratitude smile contains both appreciation for the players' enterprising spirit and prudence to protect future assets. When Flag left the Summer League with his regret of "unfinished efforts", he left a deeper first impression on the NBA world - the stubborn back who was unwilling to be defined by luck, perhaps more convincing than the 31-point scoring performance.

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There is never a shortage of top picks in basketball that open high and end low, which makes every young man who enters the industry with a halo dare not relax. Although Flag's third battle was not completed, it was already very popular in the locker room culture. This insistence on "proving one's innocence" when other rookies are content with praise on social media, heralding him to embark on a career journey with the prover's mind. Perhaps it is this natural vigilance towards "lucky success" that allows great players to continue to break through the so-called talent limit.