Cooper Flagg’s glaring flaw is becoming harder for the Mavericks to ignore

Cooper Flagg’s offensive Achilles’ heel hit a new low in March. Flagg, who’s a 27.8 percent shooter from 3-point range on the season, made just 18.2 percent of his attempts from deep in March. Among 199 players with at least 40 three-point attempts, his mark ranked last. Despite boasting an advanced, well-rounded game at just 19 years old, his struggles from beyond the arc are becoming harder for the Dallas Mavericks to overlook.

3-point shooting woes highlight Cooper Flagg's biggest weakness

Prior to March, Flagg shot 30.2 percent from beyond the arc. Poor, but not crippling. His overall field goal percentage still sat at a strong 48.2 percent despite below-average perimeter shooting. In March, though, his inability to hit threes at even a modest rate coincided with a sharp drop in efficiency. Flagg shot just 42.4 percent from the field over the month.

The bigger picture isn’t much kinder. Flagg is now shooting 46.7 percent from the field and, as previously mentioned, 27.8 percent from three on the season, with a 54.3 true shooting percentage that ranks 175th among 208 qualified players.

It’s not just Flagg struggling from deep. The Mavericks as a whole have been one of the league’s worst perimeter shooting teams. Dallas ranks 27th in the NBA in three-point percentage, converting just 34.2 percent of its attempts.

The Dallas Mavericks struggled from beyond the arc

Moreover, the Mavericks rank last in the NBA in wide-open 3-point percentage, shooting just 35.0 percent on those attempts this season. While wide-open efficiency can be volatile, it’s notable that Dallas also generates the fewest such looks in the league, averaging just 14.5 per game.

Dallas is roughly league-average or better on tight (2–4 feet) and open (4–6 feet) 3-point attempts. These splits align more closely with Flagg’s shooting profile. He has actually been more effective on open looks than on wide-open ones.

Still, looking at the Mavericks’ struggles as a whole provides context. The team’s offense lacks versatility and the guard play needed to consistently create high-quality looks.

Flagg’s burdened role exposes weakness in shooting

Flagg has been overtaxed, serving as the team’s primary shot-creator and distributor at just 19. Coming into the league, he looked like he would be more of a downhill attacker. An opportunistic scorer who capitalized on plays rather than having to consistently make his own looks, at least as a rookie. While this expanded role could accelerate his development, it has also contributed to his struggles from deep.

This overburden could impact Flagg’s confidence. He wasn’t a knockdown shooter from beyond the arc in college, even with a 38.5 percent mark at Duke, where he averaged just 3.6 three-point attempts per game. He relied on the same athletic, yet inconsistent, jumper he uses today.

There are many factors at play, but for now, Flagg’s three-point struggles can be mitigated by his strengths: he shoots exceptionally well at the rim and is solid on pull-up mid-range attempts. Still, even at just 19, his biggest flaw, perimeter shooting, is becoming harder to overlook.