10月11日，据24直播网报道，独行侠在季前赛中以132比115战胜火箭。赛后，球星凯里·欧文在采访中分享了库珀·弗拉格所承受的巨大压力，并阐述了他在球队中期望承担的职责。
"I'm in the midst of my second year," Irving expressed, "and I'm increasingly finding my voice. Having just claimed the Rookie of the Year title, there's an abundance of expectations resting on my shoulders. I believe my presence here is to aid in alleviating some of the pressure he feels. I, too, have accumulated achievements and can draw from those experiences for guidance. My early years in the league were quite challenging, filled with numerous losses. We lacked the seasoned guidance of veterans. For myself, I am still in the process of gaining a deeper understanding of how to lead a team effectively."
历经挑战与磨砺，我深知资深球员的指导至关重要。昔日，我们团队尚显稚嫩，我坚信我们具备冲击季后赛的实力，然而，结果并未如预期。如今，我身处这一职位，岁月悄然流逝，审视这位年轻才俊——我甚至不愿将他视为孩童，他依旧是个少年。尽管他的表现早已超越同龄人，但你们已亲眼见证了他非凡的才华，而他未来的进步将更加显著。
在激烈的对抗中，欧文全场活跃22分钟，投篮13次命中6球（其中三分球6投2中）、罚球3次全中，总得分达到17分，并抢得2个篮板，送出3次助攻，保持零失误，对比赛的贡献以+2的正负值体现。弗拉格同样投入了25分钟的比赛时间，投篮10次仅命中3球，三分线外4投1中，罚球8次命中7次，累积得到14分，收获4个篮板，助攻7次，抢断2次，盖帽1次，但正负值呈现为-9。