Cooper Flagg had highs and lows in his first Summer League game which is to be expected. However, USA Today believes for the Mavericks to be good, Flagg must learn the hard way in the Summer League.
The Dallas Mavericks are fully committed to first overall pick Cooper Flagg. The former Duke superstar enters Summer League with an extraordinary level of hype and potential—something not every No. 1 pick brings. Flagg joins a strong Mavericks roster, and finding a consistent spot in the lineup might be a challenge, according to Cleveland’s Lonzo Ball.
“In today’s NBA, I would play him at the four. [Cooper at the three] it would depend. It’s all a matchup. Like whoever they are playing against. Because if I play him at the three and then I got Gafford or Lively in, with Davis too, like we better get every rebound. And defense. Like, hit the glass hard. But then if I want to play small ball, I’ll push him to the four. Put AD at the five,” Ball said.
During his first press conference after the draft, head coach Jason Kidd didn’t reveal which position Flagg would play. Instead, he emphasized that he wanted Flagg to be challenged, regardless of the role. In his Summer League debut, Flagg showed he could handle the ball for the Mavericks.
"There's been some buzz about Dallas wanting to play Flagg as a guard in the regular season, and Thursday suggested he can pull it off," Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey wrote. "And for the most part, he looked comfortable playing the role of de facto point guard. He showed playmaking instincts that must have Mavs fans excited, especially since head coach Jason Kidd carried out a similar experiment nearly a decade ago with Giannis Antetokounmpo."
USA Today’s Lorenzo Reyes offered an interesting perspective, suggesting that the best thing Dallas could do in Summer League is allow Flagg to struggle.
“For Flagg to excel, he’ll need to lean into that exploratory work. And for the Mavericks to also excel, they would be wise — at least early on — to let him fail,” Reyes wrote.
Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
While experiencing failure can help a rookie learn from mistakes, it also carries the risk of damaging confidence. It's a high-risk approach—and one the Mavericks must consider carefully before committing to.
Category: General Sports
