Cooper Flagg just did something Luka Doncic never could as a Mavericks rookie

Despite the 140-133 loss to the Utah Jazz in overtime on Monday night, Cooper Flagg tied one of the most impressive rookie records in franchise history for the Dallas Mavericks after scoring 42 points. Not only did Flagg's 42 points come in one of the most entertaining games of the season, but he also became the first 18-year-old in NBA history to score more than 40 points in a game, beating out the rights of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James in the process.

It's been easy to see all season long that Flagg was going to have a special rookie campaign, but many fans and NBA analysts believed that the 18-year-old's scoring capabilities wouldn't be shown until a few years into the league, and they were dead wrong. In December alone, Flagg has averaged almost 21 points per game on an efficient 55.4 percent shooting from the field.

Not only was this the game that set Flagg apart from his fellow rookie counterparts, but it also separated him from some of the Mavericks' greatest names, like Luka Doncic. It goes without saying that Doncic had one of the most impressive rookie seasons in league history, but Flagg has quietly built a strong rookie resume that is now heralded with a 42-point showing at the age of 18. And he still has a few months left in the regular season to add even more accolades to the list.

Cooper Flagg just did what Luka Doncic never did as a rookie

Tying Mark Aguirre in any Maverick stat is already impressive enough considering how much of an offensive powerhouse Aguirre was in the 1980s, but Flagg managed to tie one of the franchise's longest-standing records of 42 points by a rookie.

Even more impressive than tying a rookie record of that magnitude is the fact that Flagg did it at just 18 years old and became the first 18-year-old to score 40 points in an NBA game in the process.

Not only did Flagg beat out the likes of some of the league's greatest basketball players like LeBron and Kobe in the process, but Flagg stamped his name in a category of rookie greats for the Mavericks. Doncic may have had one of the most impressive rookie campaigns in league history, but Flagg is now on the Slovenian's tail when many experts believed the former Duke prodigy would take time before breaking records on a nightly basis.

It goes without saying, but the Mavericks truly hit it out of the park when they won the first overall pick and selected Flagg in the NBA Draft this offseason. Not only did the team pair him with a fellow rookie stud in Ryan Nembhard, but Flagg could very well break his own record of 42 points this season before the regular season comes to a close.

Flagg doesn't turn 19 until December 21, so he could have the opportunity to break more 18-year-old NBA records, but the likelihood of another rookie under the age of 18 scoring more than 40 in a basketball game any time soon is very low.

The Mavericks will have plenty of gut-wrenching decisions to make before the season can come to a close, but knowing Flagg is a superstar in the making trumps any trade they can possibly make.