Cooper Flagg is already flashing a trait most superstars spend years trying to master

The Dallas Mavericks edged out an impressive 138-133 overtime victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night to improve to 4-10, as Dallas desperately needed this win just to get the morale and vibes back up. The Mavericks hadn't beaten a Western Conference opponent until last night, as Dallas' offense is starting to synchronize amidst injuries in their rotation, and part of the reason for this has been Cooper Flagg's play recently, particularly in the clutch.

Despite only being 18 years old, Flagg finished last night's game with the sixth-highest amount of clutch points scored by any player in the NBA, and while the Mavericks do have the most clutch games played in the league at 11, this is still an extremely impressive feat for a rookie. Flagg arguably had his most all-around game in a Mavericks uniform last night, but his ability to convert at the rim and in the mid-range in one-on-one situations is what saved Dallas' offense in the clutch.

Flagg finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and a steal, all the while shooting an efficient 9-16 from the field. However, Flagg had been relatively quiet from a scoring perspective until the beginning of the third quarter, proving he can turn it on offensively when Dallas needs it most or the game is hanging in the balance.

Cooper Flagg's poise in the clutch is uncanny for an 18-year-old rookie

Regardless of how highly touted a certain prospect is, having the poise as a young player to deliver when the moment is the brightest and 20,000 some odd fans are screaming at the top of their lungs, is not something almost any rookies have the ability to do consistently.

What makes this even more impressive from Flagg is that his offense isn't even the most polished aspect of his game, even if he's very versatile, yet he's converted down the stretch for the Mavericks in crucial situations multiple times so far this season, even if it hasn't always resulted in wins.

There are very few rookies over the past handful of seasons who can say they've delivered in the moment as consistently as Flagg has thus far, with former Maverick Luka Doncic being the most prominent example of a player who did this. Flagg is already in rare air when it comes to many metrics on the board, but his ability to cease the moment isn't something that can necessarily be coached, and is often something players either have or don't have from a mental perspective.

Fellow rookie V.J. Edgecombe from the Philadelphia 76ers also boasts an impressive clutch display so far, shooting 87.5 percent on shots in the clutch, as he has also exhibited a killer mentality at times, and mirrors some of the same qualities Flagg has shown as well. However, it's seldom that even one rookie will be amongst the top clutch players in the league, much less two, so it's clear the sky is the limit for both Flagg and Edgecombe given their maturity when the game is on the line.