For the past two months, Cooper Flagg’s trainer has already witnessed how the NBA’s No. 1 pick has grown literally and figuratively.

The literal: the Dallas Mavericks’ rookie has produced a handful of highlight reel dunks. The figurative: Flagg has adjusted reasonably well to the NBA’s physicality, increasing his scoring role and to an unexpected playmaking role.

No wonder Flagg has earned Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors both in October and November. The Mavericks (9-16) enter Thursday’s game against the Detroit Pistons (19-5) with Flagg averaging 17.43 points on 47.5% shooting, 6.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 33.7 minutes per game.

Matt MacKenzie, Flagg’s trainer, hardly views him as a finished product. And why would he? Rookies rarely display the best version of themselves this quickly. Given Flagg’s talent, however, the possibilities seem endless.

“He’ll continue to get better,” MacKenzie told EssentiallySports. “He’ll continue to settle in. You’re going to see a more polished version of Cooper Flagg about midway through the season.”

MacKenzie spoke to EssentiallySports on numerous topics related to the beginning of Flagg’s rookie season. The topics: how Flagg handled playing on an injury-riddled team that eventually fired its unpopular general manager (Nico Harrison), Kyrie Irving’s impact on him and Klay Thompson’s belief that Flagg can become a superstar. MacKenzie also evaluated Flagg’s ups and downs as a playmaker, his growth as a scorer and his day-to-day routine that has helped him adjust to the NBA.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed.

What are your takeaways at the quarter point of Cooper’s rookie season?

MacKenzie: “He has done a great job with progressing game by game. As we’ve seen, he’s really starting to settle into the expectations of him. That’s especially on the offensive end. I think early on in the season, he was just feeling things out, learning how to play with certain teammates and learning what the expectations were of him within the actions they were playing. You saw him deferring a little bit to his veteran teammates. Now that he’s just over a quarter of the way into the season, you’re really seeing him start to settle into a role and start to become more assertive on the offensive end. He’s doing a good job with getting to his spots and being more decisive with the basketball. He has more of a scorer’s mentality. Right now, that’s what his team really needs. He’s starting to understand that in order for his team to be successful, he needs to really dictate the tempo. A lot of times when he has that scorer’s mentality and he draws an additional defender, he’s finding open teammates for better shots. It’s not just helping his own statistics. But it’s elevating the play of others as well.”

What were the turning points where he showed a bigger comfort level with having a scorer’s mentality and adjusting to the playmaking role?

MacKenzie: “It has progressed over a series of games. But I know that he’s had some conversations not only with myself and our inner circle. But also with the coaching staff with the Dallas Mavericks. We all just have been on the same page in terms of instilling that confidence in him that it’s okay to be aggressive. It’s okay to get more than 16 or 17 shots in a game. That’s what the team needs in him. So I think that after the Lakers game, I was having conversations with him on what the team needs and how I think he can continue to improve with what he’s doing on the floor. Both the coaching staff and myself have set out some challenges for him to be a little bit more aggressive on the offensive end, looking for his shot and getting to his spots and really attacking driving angles with the intent to score. He’s done a really good job with accepting those challenges and playing games within the game. He’s really making sure that he’s coming out and starting games with a little bit more aggression. He’s kind of setting the tempo for the rest of the game. He’s done a really good job with accepting those challenges. He’s shown that, not only with his statistics. But it’s shown with the team results on their recent three-game winning streak.”

Cooper referenced the message about the staff telling him to be more aggressive and not fret about making mistakes. He said that’s made him feel more confident with playing freer. From your lens, has that affected his game?

MacKenzie: “Just hearing that message that is consistent across the board from his coaching staff, to his inner circle, to his veteran teammates, they all have the expectation of him choosing to play with assertiveness and to be in attack mode from the jump ball to the finish. There may be some times where he feels like he can get a better shot. But that’s the nature of being a star player in this league. You need to be able to live with certain shots, especially when you’re playing with that kind of mindset. If over the course of the game, he’s shooting 18 to 20 shots, maybe he could’ve gotten a better look in one or two of them. But we’ll all live with that. We just need him to be aggressive. I’m really encouraged by the version of himself that we’ve seen over the last few games.

Early on in the season, it was really just about him feeling things out and looking to really settle in with what the expectations were going to be of him. I knew there was going to be a turning point. I’ve just been really happy to see that it started to happen. He’s starting to realize that in order for his team to have success, that’s the style of basketball that he’s going to need to play. He’s more than capable of doing so.”

How did you see Cooper handle the playmaking role?

MacKenzie: “I know there was criticism about him playing in that role. However, I think from a developmental standpoint, it was actually really good for him just because he had to have the ball in his hands. He had to handle pressure full court. Now when you see him with the ball, there is a sense of comfort. He can now go through certain possessions and not get rattled and not get sped up. You’re seeing him really dictate the pace. I think playing that point guard position for a stretch of games really helped prepare him for that.”

How so?

MacKenzie: “There were certainly lumps there. He had to get over some adversity. But seeing where he is at now and seeing how well he is taking care of the ball and just being able to read the entirety of the floor, I’m not mad at that situation that he had to get through. I think he would tell you the same thing. Ultimately, it’s going to make him better. The intent of doing that was very good.”

How did you see Cooper handle the unique circumstances with being on a losing team for the first time, hearing the ‘Fire Nico’ chants at the free-throw line and then Nico’s dismissal itself?

MacKenzie: “The message that we’ve tried to make consistent with Cooper is to control what you can control and drown out the noise and make sure that you understand that you can only control what you can control. That’s playing the best basketball that you possibly can. The front office will handle that stuff. In terms of losing games, it’s about making sure that he’s maintaining that competitive edge and not allowing that to be something that he is comfortable with experiencing. That’s not in his DNA. He’s so competitive. It absolutely burns his insides to lose games. So with every game, it was a reflection. How can he be better? How can he help his teammates be better? We’re making sure to remind him that there is going to be a turning point once everyone gets healthy. Once things start clicking, the wins will certainly come.”

How have you seen him respond to that feedback?

MacKenzie: “He takes things that he can do better and just builds off of them. One of those things is how to make sure that you’re taking care of your body and recovering, especially when you’re going through these back-to-backs. I think over the last couple of weeks, he’s done a much better job with journaling some of the things that have worked well for him and then some of the things that he should be doing differently in regard to his rest and recovery and pre-game routines. I think you’re going to continue to see him get better with that as his year and his career move along. He’s understanding what it takes to be a pro. With the number of games that he’s going to play and the usage rate that he gets, how can he make sure that he gets as ready as he possibly can be for every upcoming game?”

This seems connected to what you said in the offseason about his work with conditioning drills and in the weight room to increase his chances to stay durable. But now that the season has started, what does his routine entail with taking care of his body?

MacKenzie: “I think that the biggest thing is just making sure that he’s staying ahead of it and that he’s being proactive. When the final buzzer goes off after one game, he’s immediately preparing for the next. That includes what you’re putting into your body in regard to your diet to the amount of sleep that he’s getting that night and making sure that he’s getting in the cold tub and using the Normatec boots and hydrating to the next level. He’s doing a good job with treating his body like a professional. He’s being mindful of everything that is going into it. He’s getting the appropriate amount of rest. He’s making sure that he’s being diligent about working with the Mavericks’ strength staff and medical staff to keep his body in the best place possible.

He also understands that he’s going to have to play through things throughout the season, too. And he has. He has done a really good job with playing through things like a stinger to the shoulder or pain in his shooting hand. But he understands that as long as he takes care of those little bumps and bruises and he doesn’t allow it to keep him out, he’s going to be able to play a lot of games this year.”

What are the details with what his dieting, sleeping and recovery entail?

MacKenzie: “It’s to try to be as consistent as possible. Sometimes, when you’re constantly on a plane traveling, that can become challenging. But he tries to be consistent. He’s making sure that he’s getting at least eight hours of sleep every night. He’s making sure that he’s doing a good job with hydrating and getting enough water. We’re also mindful of making sure that he’s getting enough caloric intake and enough healthy foods into his body day in and day out. Then he’s making sure that he’s maintaining his strength in the weight room. A lot of times after he finishes games, he’s getting in the weight room with the Mavericks staff and getting a maintenance lift. I think that’s really helped him a lot. He’s done a good job with making sure that he’s taking his multivitamins and his protein intake day-to-day. When he has the opportunity to do so, he’s doing hot yoga. So it’s a combination of all of that that has really helped him improve with his readiness and making sure that he’s as prepared as he possibly can be to play heavy minutes every single game.”

Cooper also said he’s been focusing heavily on knowing personnel. What does his prep look like with that?

MacKenzie: “He has certainly done a really good job with studying film this year. That is a testament to the Mavericks coaching staff. We’ve done a really good job with having a collaborative relationship to where his assistant coach, Josh Broghamer, and I will both share film edits with him on a weekly basis. It’s not only on his own performance. It’s on upcoming matchups he may see. He’s also studying other players that play his position. So he’s continuing to be a student of the game and taking little nuances from what they do. He’s certainly watched more film in the last three months than he ever has as a basketball player. He’s gaining a better understanding of some of the other players in the league that have been in his shoes before, as well as for future matchups. Picking up on those tendencies both offensively and defensively is going to help him continue to be as prepared as possible for when he faces those teams.”

AD shared that Cooper was asking him a lot of questions during training camp on where he likes the ball. What other details of specific players is he trying to focus on?

MacKenzie: “Especially over the last couple of weeks, as AD is working himself back to full strength, that’s been Cooper’s main priority. That is to make sure he is as connected as he possibly can be with AD in terms of the timing, both offensively and defensively. He’s been asking a lot of questions in terms of where AD’s positioning is going to be and where he likes to receive the ball. I noticed in Denver that he pulled AD to the side on a couple of occasions and asked him questions on the pick-and-roll coverage involving Nikola Jokić. He’s picking up little things from time to time in certain situations from those veterans. He’s not afraid to ask questions. He wants to soak up as much knowledge as he possibly can.

Kyrie Irving has been another great mentor for him. He’s out, but he’s so observant on the bench. He’s wanted to be a consistent voice for Cooper. I know that he has really appreciated all of the feedback that Kyrie has been able to offer him. With having Klay as well, Cooper is able to see some of the things that he can offer. He has some really good veterans. I know he’ll continue to lean on those guys as they continue to navigate the season.”

What feedback has Kyrie given Cooper?

MacKenzie: “With Kyrie, it’s been all about staying composed and being able to continue to read angles and really make sure that you’re playing at your own pace and not allowing the game to speed you up. ‘If you don’t have an advantage, pull it out and be patient in reading the spacing on the floor.’ That’s been the biggest thing. It’s to make sure that he’s being patient to allow the spacing to happen and then to attack when it’s appropriate.

As far as AD goes, that’s been more about developing chemistry on the floor together. They’ve been able to do a good job working through that in the last couple of games. They’re seeing where AD likes to go out of a ball screen and seeing where he likes the ball to be passed to. With Cooper being able to play with a dominant big man like that, it’s going to help open up so many opportunities. That’s not only for AD and the shooters on the sides. But that is also for Cooper as he comes off those screens with an intent to score. I think you’ll see those relationships and chemistry continue to develop over the course of the season.”

One of Cooper’s biggest highlights was his dunk over Ivica Zubac. What was the play-by-play like for you?

MacKenzie: “Honestly, it was a ‘Cooper-esque’ type play. He did a good job with taking his time navigating through the paint. Then he saw the angle and the opportunity. He saw Zubac was playing back. So he took off and was able to finish right through him. We’ve seen a few plays similar to that throughout the season. I think you will see a lot more as the season goes on. He just makes the right play. He saw an opportunity there. It was a big play, but it was the right play. There are going to be plenty more of those in the future.”

Klay said that Cooper “has the potential to be an NBA superstar.” He stressed he wasn’t making Kobe [Bryant] comparisons. But he said he feels like mentoring Cooper has been similar to what it was like for Byron [Scott] to mentor Kobe. How did those things land with you and Cooper?

MacKenzie: “Hearing some of the veterans speak highly of Cooper is nice and it’s great to have the support of his teammates and that he’s able to gain the respect of superstar players and head coaches. It’s a testament to the hard work that he’s put in so far. But it’s what we expected of him. We’re going to continue to keep those expectations pretty high. We know that he’s on his way to where he wants to go. But he still has a long road ahead of him.”

What do you think that road looks like?

MacKenzie: “We’re going to continue to keep our head down and continue to work. We’ll continue to pick up on things that he can get better at. I know that Cooper’s biggest thing is that he wants to be a very impactful two-way player in the league for many, many years. In order for that to happen, he needs to continue to be reflective and improve in every category that he possibly can. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

He’s only a quarter of the way through his rookie season. So I think you’ll see him start to play his best basketball as a rookie in the next several weeks. He’ll continue to get better. He’ll continue to settle in. You’re going to see a more polished version of Cooper Flagg about midway through the season.”

Mark Medina is an NBA insider for EssentiallySports. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.