The Dallas Mavericks are heading into the regular season on a high note after defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in their final preseason game. This entire offseason, all eyes have been on Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Perhaps the Mavericks — like much of the basketball world — have placed too many expectations on the rookie phenom.
“The Dallas Mavericks are asking too much from Cooper Flagg. Fans should temper expectations for his rookie season. Flagg is a generational prospect and will be a standout for years to come, but year one will feature struggles as he adjusts to the NBA and being a primary creator. The Mavs have nobody to blame but themselves,” The Smoking Cuban’s Tyler Watts wrote.
The biggest adjustment for Flagg entering the NBA has been his shift to the point guard position. Head coach Jason Kidd made it clear during the summer that he wanted to challenge the rookie right away.
“I don't look at the position. I want to put him at point guard. I want to make him uncomfortable and see how he reacts (to) being able to run the show," Kidd said. “We want to push. And I think he's going to respond in a positive way. It's all right to fail. It's all right to turn the ball over. We've talked about that.”
On Wednesday, Kidd revealed that the Mavericks’ veteran roster has already embraced Flagg’s leadership role.
“The other thing that I think has gone unnoticed is that his teammates enjoy him running this team. That doesn't happen in this league. I think that's a plus,” Kidd said.
Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
For a rookie to step into such a major role on a veteran team is virtually unheard of — and that speaks to how special Flagg is. What makes it even more remarkable is that he’s still not even 20 years old.
Flagg is expected to play a huge part in the Mavericks’ plans this season, and the team clearly wants to give him a strong voice early on. With Kyrie Irving sidelined, Flagg could also take on the role of primary ball handler until the star guard returns. That’s a massive vote of confidence from Kidd with just a week remaining before the season opener.