Cooper Flagg has started to really impress for the Dallas Mavericks lately, and it’s no coincidence that his playing well has coincided with a change in position. The Mavericks have played Flagg at small forward, his natural position, over the last eight games, after he started the season at point guard, and there is a noticeable difference in his numbers since the switch.
Cooper Flagg at Point Guard: 13.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.4 blocks per game
Cooper Flagg at Small Forward: 17.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.0 blocks per game
It’s not just that Flagg’s scoring has gone up, but he has also been far more efficient since he first got to play at small forward against the New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 5. The 18-year-old shot a miserable 38.8% from the field in his seven starts at point guard. That figure increased to 50.4% at small forward.
Flagg is unsurprisingly having more success as a scorer when he has the likes of D’Angelo Russell and Brandon Williams running the offense and setting him up with easier scoring opportunities. The No. 1 overall pick has been more active on the defensive end as well since the ball-handling responsibilities were taken away from him.
It’s not easy for even the top prospects to transition quickly from college basketball to the NBA. There is a big adjustment they have to make, and Flagg had to make an even bigger one. Sure, he had brought up the ball at times at Duke and has shown he can playmake a bit, but he never played at point guard. Asking him to play that role now in the NBA against the very best basketball players in the world was a mistake on head coach Jason Kidd’s part.
Even Kidd’s own son, TJ, criticized his father for playing Flagg at point guard. Well, at least the 52-year-old realized it was a mistake and didn’t stubbornly continue the experiment for a longer period.
Cooper Flagg Admitted He Might Not Have Been Ready To Play Point Guard
While Flagg never complained about Kidd playing him at point guard, he has now admitted that he might not have been ready for that role this early in his career. He was asked about what has changed for him since he started playing in his natural position in his press conference after the 133-127 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.
“I think obviously just having somebody to help relieve pressure,” Flagg said. “I think it’s a lot of pressure and a lot of responsibility that comes with being a point guard. I don’t know if I was ready for that or if I was ready to handle that right off the bat.
“I tried my best, and I mean, that’s not to say I can’t go back to it and can’t work on it and get better, but I think it’s just worked out lately where it’s been better to have somebody else helping out, relieving pressure,” Flagg continued. “It doesn’t mean I can’t bring it up and initiate offense, but just to have somebody in there to help relieve that.”
Flagg thinks he could potentially play point guard at some point in the future. Perhaps once he’s fully settled in, he could give it a shot.
For now, the Mavericks will put that responsibility on Russell and Williams. They’ll be getting a much-needed upgrade at the position in some time, too, as Kyrie Irving is ahead of schedule in his rehab.
Irving’s return will make life easier on the court for Flagg, who is now dismissing all those concerns raised about him following that slow start. We’ll see him in action next when the 4-11 Mavericks take on the 8-5 New York Knicks at American Airlines Center on Wednesday at 9:30 PM ET.
