Cooper Flagg's PB&J habit reveals what Mavericks should love about him

Cooper Flagg has gone viral among Dallas Mavericks fans recently for his habit of eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the bench. Flagg revealed that he prefers his PB&Js to have grape jelly and smooth peanut butter on them, but the most important thing he revealed about this new habit is the reason for it.

Cooper Flagg's PB&J habit has a bigger purpose

When asked about his new mid-game routine, Flagg immediately gave a shoutout to the Mavericks' strength and medical staff, revealing that he's doing this in an effort to "put on some weight and keep gaining muscle."

Flagg notably came into this season listed at 228 pounds after being listed at 205 as a rookie. His focus on putting on more muscle started long before this offseason, but the mass he added to his upper body over the summer is evident.

How added muscle is paying off for Flagg this season

This will help him in all areas of his game, as he now has more upper-body strength to finish through contact, create more separation on drives and mid-range pull-ups, and not be bumped off his spots.

Flagg is averaging a career-high 7.1 free throws per game. This is a clear sign that he is comfortable when fighting through contact rather than shying away from it, and his added strength makes him much harder to stop when getting downhill.

A major part of Coop's significant year-two leap can be attributed to his dedication to working on his body. This will help him stay in elite shape and become a more complete player, as poor diets and lifting regimens can put players at risk of injury. Eating and the weight room are two extremely important components of a young player's growth, and Flagg is dialed in.

Flagg is focused on hitting his daily calorie goal

"There's requirements I gotta meet, and I'm just trying to stay ahead of it," Flagg said when talking about his PB&J habit on Sunday. "We got another game tomorrow, so just trying to get my calories and stay ahead of it and be ready for another one tomorrow."

Cooper is clearly dedicated to the strength staff's plan they've developed to help him build muscle during the season, and the Mavericks should love this about him. Flagg is fully bought in, and Dallas' new franchise cornerstone is doing whatever it takes to be the best version of himself on the court.

He's disciplined, even as a teenager, and his enthusiasm for this plan is notable. Flagg was seen eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in each of Dallas' last two home games, and this trend will likely continue as Cooper tries to put on weight during the season.

Why Flagg's relationship with the Mavs' staff is encouraging

The team should be ecstatic that Flagg is taking such a serious approach to their plan for him, as alignment between the strength and medical staff and the players is crucial to a working relationship. Mavericks fans know how badly things can go when the medical staff is dysfunctional, and all signs indicate that Masai Ujiri's staff is doing an excellent job.

Coop went out of his way to praise the job they've done when he was asked about the PB&Js, and this habit is much more than something fun for fans to talk about. It's a sign that Flagg is doing everything he can to be the superstar MFFLs want him to be.

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