Cooper Flagg’s "Welcome to the NBA Moment" wasn’t his first missed shot, an alley-oop attempt that clanked off the rim and would’ve been the first points of the game.
It wasn’t the time he tossed a pass to some fan in the first row because he thought one of his Dallas Mavericks teammates would be waiting.
It wasn’t even when he took a handoff and eventually laced his first career shot, a jumper from the top of the key.
It came early in the second quarter, when he held the ball on the left wing. Flagg was being guarded by last year’s Rookie of the Year, Spurs guard Stephon Castle, a hyper-athletic and active defender.
Flagg attempted a lazy pass that Castle deflected, and scooped, racing down the court for a transition layup. Flagg, rather than letting the mistake go, compounded it by committing a foul for an and-1 opportunity.
