The NBA draft is finally here, and the Dallas Mavericks have officially selected Cooper Flagg, one of the top prospects the NBA has ever seen. Coming out of Duke, the hope is for Flagg to make an immediate impact, and there's a very good chance that he'll be put into the starting lineup on day one.
Flagg, who many consider a generational talent, is lucky to be a member of the Mavericks, too. While Dallas moved on from Luka Doncic in a trade that remains questionable, Flagg has the opportunity to play alongside some very good veterans, and this relationship benefits both parties.
The Mavericks lost Doncic but now have another generational player, hopefully, and he’ll get to play with a few stars.
Mavericks Projected Starting Five
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Cooper Flagg
PF: Anthony Davis
Center: Dereck Lively II
Now, of course, this depends on what the Mavericks plan to do in free agency and the rest of the offseason, and Irving will miss much of next year due to an injury, but this is the best starting five to put together.
Hopefully, this will be the other four players Flagg will play with the most during his time in Dallas.
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The Mavericks are expected to sign or trade for another point guard, meaning that Irving would be out in this situation on day one.
It's possible they could get creative in the starting lineup without Irving and put someone like P.J. Washington in the mix, giving them another defender who can shoot the ball at a decent clip.
However, the Mavericks' ball handling would be a bit questionable.
According to Marc Stein, the Mavericks are now the frontrunners to add D'Angelo Russell, so perhaps he’ll be who they use at point guard until Irving returns.