Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg is already proving that his preparation goes beyond the gym.
The No. 1 overall pick has turned to an unconventional training tool to build chemistry with Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis before his first NBA season, the newly released NBA2K26.
Ronnie Singh, better known as Ronnie2K, revealed that Flagg has been using the game to simulate on-court chemistry with his new teammates.
“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 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.”
Singh added that professional instincts make NBA players natural fits for the game.
“I play a lot of NBA players that don’t get to play 2K all the time, and they’re inherently good at the game already because they have a natural instinct of how their teammates are going to move,” Singh said. “They see it every day in practice.”
The 18-year-old has plenty to be excited about. He joins a Mavericks team that now revolves around Davis and Irving after the Luka Doncic trade. Although Irving is still recovering from an ACL injury, Flagg’s early efforts show a maturity well beyond his age.
With an NBA2K26 rookie rating of 82, the highest among first-year players, Flagg is not only gaming his way into team chemistry but also preparing to make an immediate impact in real life.
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