Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd came under fire for playing Cooper Flagg at point guard at the start of the 2025-26 NBA season, but that decision is paying dividends now. Flagg is looking more and more comfortable with the ball in his hands, and Kidd ripped his critics for doubting his decision in his press conference after Saturday’s 111-107 loss to the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center.
“I don’t give a f*** about the criticism,” Kidd said, via Grant Afseth. “That’s your opinion. You guys write that bulls***… I’ve done this. I’ve played this game. I played it at a very high level. I know what the f*** I’m doing, and I don’t give a f*** what you guys write because you guys have never played the game.
“So, I build players, so I know what the f*** I’m doing,” Kidd added. “So, to take criticism, it only makes me better, because if I wasn’t doing it right, you guys wouldn’t be poking holes at what I’ve done. That’s it. Thanks.”
Kidd wasn’t interested in taking any more questions and simply stormed off. It’s clear the 52-year-old wasn’t too happy about the discourse at the start of the season.
Flagg, the first pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, started at point guard for the first seven games of this 2025-26 season, and the results weren’t great. He put up 13.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in those contests while shooting 38.8% from the field.
Flagg was struggling with the additional responsibility of being the primary ball handler, and Kidd was ripped for his decision. It wasn’t just the media that was questioning that call.
Kidd’s own son, TJ, criticized his father for starting Flagg at point guard. He made it clear that the decision didn’t make any sense to him.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green also warned the Mavericks not to make the mistake that the Philadelphia 76ers made with Ben Simmons. Green understood the decision to have the former Duke star play point guard for his development, but wondered out loud how different Simmons’ career would have been if he had been played at power forward instead.
Green was worried that if Flagg loses his confidence while playing at the position, he might struggle to get it back. Everything has worked out, though.
Flagg had 34 points (13-25 FG), 12 rebounds, five assists, and one block against the Rockets. A performance like that would usually be the best by far for someone in their rookie season, but that isn’t the case here.
Flagg just had 49 points (20-29 FG), 10 rebounds, three assists, and one block in the 123-121 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday. The 19-year-0ld is living up to all that pre-draft hype.
For the season, Flagg is now averaging 19.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game. He is having one of the finest rookie seasons we have seen in recent history.
While Flagg deserves the bulk of the credit for his success, Kidd has certainly played his part in it. He had previously helped in Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo’s development by putting the ball in his hands. As Kidd stated, he knows what he’s doing.
The Mavericks fell to 19-30 with this loss to the Rockets, though, and this is pretty much a lost season, Flagg’s development aside. They’ll take on the Boston Celtics next at American Airlines Center on Tuesday at 8 PM ET.
