The Dallas Mavericks entered the season knowing things might start a little slow across the board. With Kyrie Irving sidelined to start the year, head coach Jason Kidd has worked since the summer to help No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg get comfortable playing the point guard role.
“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.”
However, there’s been a growing concern with Flagg playing the point guard position — one that could soon hinder his development.
“And while it was always obvious that Flagg's fit at point guard wasn't a fit at all, we're now approaching the danger zone of Flagg's growth being stunted because he's never able to get comfortable in the Mavs offense. An offense that, for the record, does have the personnel necessary to let Flagg play his natural position. But head coach Jason Kidd seems intent on turning Flagg into a jumbo point guard, no matter how rocky the road is to that goal,” The Smoking Cuban’s Quinn Everts wrote.
The good news for Flagg is that despite these early struggles, he’s already shown signs of leadership.
“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.
It’s now up to Kidd to protect his rookie. Flagg is by no means a bust, but the somewhat over-the-top expectations surrounding him have some worried.
Flagg has the potential to become a great player in this league, but until Irving returns, he may remain stuck at point guard. For now, he’ll likely have to grind through the growing pains until he can play more in his natural position.