Scary Mavericks reality remains despite Cooper Flagg's greatness

Cooper Flagg is who we thought he was. Last night, the Mavs' magnificent rookie scored a career-high 42 points, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to score 40-plus, breaking a record previously held by LeBron James. It's hard to imagine anyone breaking Flagg's mark for a long, long time.

Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks lost to the Utah Jazz in overtime. It feels like the Mavs simultaneously exist in two different worlds right now; the first is Cooper Flagg world, in which the Mavs have an 18 year-old star who could feasibly be a multiple-time MVP in this league. The other world contains... Everything else about this franchise right now, which feels broken, battered, and bleak.

Cooper Flagg is the only sure thing for the Dallas Mavericks right now

Luckily, it's a pretty massive sure thing. Flagg is the basis of everything the Mavs will do for the next ten years, and it's encouraging to think about what he can become for this organization.

It's less encouraging to think about the work that will need to be done to build a competent roster around him. Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving give this team enough star power to be competitive on a nightly basis, PJ Washington and Max Christie can be contributors for a while, and Ryan Nembhard appears to be a great pickup off the scrap heap.

With that being said, this team is currently not built for the future. In 2029, when Flagg is 22 and likely getting annual MVP talk, neither Davis or Irving will be contributing at the level they are now. Flagg will need a second (and third) option alongside him, and finding those guys has to be priority No. 1 for this front office.

I've said it before; teams find their franchise cornerstone and think that's the end of a rebuild, when in reality it's the start. Drafting Cooper Flagg will give this team a floor like Milwaukee has with Giannis and Denver has with Jokic. But one of those situations is a cautionary tale — neglecting to build a team around a superstar, even if that player has reached the apex of success with that team, can lead to a potential breakup.

That's why there's not any time to waste with Flagg right now. He's dominant at 18. By 21, he'll be unstoppable. Will the Mavs do enough in the coming years to give him a happy longterm home?