Cooper Flagg turns to shocking method to perfect his Mavericks fit

Cooper Flagg's rookie season with the Dallas Mavericks will begin in just over a month, and he is preparing for this big moment by playing plenty of NBA 2K26. He's still getting plenty of work in on the floor, as he's known for being a gym rat who hates off days, but he's embracing the famous basketball video game to get ready for his first season in the NBA.

Yep, that's right.

According to an exclusive interview by Alder Almo of Heavy Sports with Ronnie Singh, also known as Ronnie 2K, Flagg is using NBA 2K26 to simulate how he fits with Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving on the floor. Even though Irving will miss a large chunk of next season with a torn ACL, Flagg is using the prestigious video game to get ahead of the curve.

Cooper Flagg is playing NBA 2K26 to get ready for rookie year

"I’ve been talking to Cooper Flagg a lot the last couple of weeks, and he’s already trying to shape up how he’s going to fit into that team by playing the NBA2K26 game with him, integrated with Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis," Singh told Almo of Heavy Sports. "He might not get to play with Kyrie for a minute, so it’s kind of cool that he gets to simulate that, see how the off-the-ball movement is. Our AI is so good. It really simulates the authentic experience of being on the court."

NBA 2K games are known for being realistic, and since Flagg won't be getting in any reps with Irving for a few months on the hardwood, he's getting it done on the virtual court. From the moment Flagg was drafted, it's been known that he would be an excellent fit next to Davis and Irving, as they badly needed more wing depth, and the Mavs' new superstar trio is going to have the chance to take over the league as soon as next year.

Irving brings the shot creation, ball handling, and scoring, Davis brings defense, size, and power down low, and Flagg will bring a combination of all three. Opposing defenses will have to be on their toes when defending the Mavs when Flagg, Davis, and Irving share the court, and one of the things about Flagg's game that NBA 2K26 will help him with is playing off the ball and figuring out how to complement these superstars even when the ball isn't in his hands.

This is one thing that Singh specifically noted in his conversation with Almo, and this will be vital during Flagg's rookie year.

In the first half of the season, while Irving is out, Flagg is going to have the chance to be a featured piece of the offense. He and Davis will be the focal points, as the Mavs are going to need plenty of offense, but it'll be a different story once Irving is back.

Davis and Irving will hope to reclaim the dominance they showed in the one half they played together against the Houston Rockets back in February, and the goal will be for Flagg to quickly figure out how to play with his new teammates. NBA 2K26 will help him in this way, as it will help him simulate how to keep the offense flowing, and back-door cuts, relocating to an open spot on the perimeter, and off-ball screens may turn to his bread and butter.

Irving's return is only going to make the game easier for Flagg, and Flagg's fun off-court replacement to getting actual reps could pay dividends.