Cooper Flagg is turning his former Mavericks flaw into a deadly weapon

Heading into Cooper Flagg's rookie year, one of his biggest question marks in his game was undoubtedly his 3-point shot and shooting altogether, as skeptics doubted that his efficient shooting from Duke would carry over to the NBA. Flagg has silenced this concern completely through his first two preseason games, with last night's performance against the Charlotte Hornets being his strongest showing shooting the rock yet.

In Dallas' 120-116 loss to Charlotte on Saturday, Flagg finished with 11 points, three rebounds, four assists, and three steals while shooting 4-8 from the field and 1-2 from downtown, and his tough shot-making was on display early. Fans may remember this game for the alley-oop slam that he finished in the first half off a pass from D'Angelo Russell, but his silky smooth shooting is what looked the most promising.

Flagg made three jumpers in this game, with all three of them being off the dribble, and his ability to score off the bounce should have Mavericks fans extremely excited about his future as an offensive player in the NBA. Both of the mid-range jumpers we made were tough shots with a hand in his face, including one shot where he created space from LaMelo Ball with a nice behind-the-back move, and he could morph into a high-level scorer in front of everyone's eyes.

Cooper Flagg's shooting is quickly silencing doubts

Flagg has showcased that he has the ability to create his own shot in his first preseason game, and it didn't take him long to get cooking against Charlotte or Oklahoma City last week. Against the Thunder, Flagg finished with 10 points while shooting 2-3 from downtown.

His comfort level shooting off of screens is evident, as he makes the defense pay any time that the defender goes under a screen, and Dallas can use him in a variety of ways this season.

On and off the ball, Flagg is an ace, as he is always a threat to cut back door for a dunk or take advantage of late defense by drilling an open three, and there shouldn't be any concern about his shooting, as he'll officially begin his rookie year in exactly 10 days.

Flagg is known for being a relentless worker with no holes in his game, and he took his training shooting the ball seriously over the summer. He and his camp understood what the Mavs were going to need from him offensively in his first season, and his daily work with his trainer Matt MacKenzie and company has definitely paid off.

He looks considerably better than he did for Dallas during Summer League, and he looks ready to take the NBA by storm as a rookie. His shooting is not going to be a weak point, especially if he can continue to stack upon the positive momentum he has displayed through two games, and his skillset is much more advanced than he gets credit for.

Flagg's offensive game is going to be a strength right away, and his shooting off the catch and off the dribble will be one of the many ways Dallas can rely upon him.