As far as professional sports debuts go, Cooper Flagg’s could’ve been better. It could’ve been a lot worse, too.

Wednesday’s game between the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs was one that basketball fans in Maine have anticipated since fall 2021, when Flagg was beginning his freshman season at Nokomis High.

Flagg’s stat line in the Mavericks’ 125-92 loss was 10 points, 10 rebounds, one steal and three turnovers. Flagg shot 30.8% from the floor (4 for 13), and his 31 minutes, 32 seconds of playing time was second on the team to Anthony Davis. It was an up-and-down performance, pretty much what anyone should expect from an 18-year old making his NBA debut, no matter how talented and hyped the player is.

And few in recent memory have been as hyped as Flagg. As the No. 1 pick after one season at Duke, expectations were through the roof.

A headline in the Dallas Morning News called Flagg’s debut a flop. That says more about those expectations than about Flagg’s game. Flagg did start slowly, there’s no doubt. None of his 10 points came in the first half, and Dallas trailed by nine at the break. When Flagg did find his offensive rhythm in the second half, the Spurs were happily pulling away.

Flagg, 18, is the second-youngest player to start in his NBA debut, just a couple days older than LeBron James was when he made his debut 22 years ago. Flagg’s head coach, Jason Kidd, reminded everyone of that after the game.

“I thought he played well,” Kidd said. “The stat line is not going to say that, but no one in this room is sitting in his shoes. I think as a rookie, he did fine. And he’s going to learn from this game. We all will.”

If there’s anyone on the court Wednesday night who Flagg should learn from, it’s the player who took over the game. Spurs center Victor Wembanyama dominated, scoring 40 points on 15-for-21 shooting while grabbing 15 rebounds and blocking three shots.

The No. 1 pick in 2023, Wembanyama was in Flagg’s shoes just a couple years ago. In his debut, coincidentally against the Mavs, he scored 15 points and had five rebounds. Like Flagg, his team lost the game. There’s no doubt that Wembanyama is now one of the top players in the NBA. If he continues to develop at a rate similar to how he did in college, Flagg can be at that level by his third season, too.

It’s not a straight line, though. There’ll be ups and downs, often both in the same game, as we saw Wednesday night. Only one of Flagg’s four made field goals was outside the paint, a top-of-the-key jumper.

“He’s incredible,” Flagg said of the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama. “He’s a different player. You can’t know what it’s like until you’re on the court with him. It’s something I’ve never seen before. He was great tonight, but we’ve got to do a better job of trying to take away some of his looks. You can’t foul him as much as we did.”

For more comparison, last year’s No. 1 pick, Zaccarie Risacher, came off the bench for the Atlanta Hawks in his NBA debut and scored seven points, with one rebound.

Wednesday was the game Maine has waited for. If you’re disappointed Flagg didn’t dominate, change your expectations. If you’re excited to see a talented player steadily improve and live up to the hype, settle in and enjoy the process. The next game is Friday night against the Washington Wizards.