Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg hasn’t had the best start to his NBA career. The forward has appeared in six games so far, averaging 13.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and five assists on 37.3% shooting from the field. There have been mixed reactions to his performance, including his first game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he finished with just two points.
For a player who was the No. 1 pick of the recent draft, fans expected him to take over the league. That was what he displayed during his one year at Duke. With that, there was an expectation that he’d do a lot for the Mavericks, given that All-Star guard Kyrie Irving is recovering from a torn ACL.
Flagg’s difficulties have drawn criticism from others outside the Dallas organization. However, a former Mavericks forward isn’t putting too much pressure on the first-year NBA player. According to Shawn Marion, there will be growing pains as he gets the first-hand experience of what it’s like to play in the professional setting.
Marion was asked about what had impressed him the most about Cooper Flagg. According to the four-time All-Star, his passing as someone who wasn’t developed to be a facilitator is something that has left a strong impression on him.
“His passing. He’s been put in a position to be more of a facilitator,” Marion said. “He did it naturally at certain times dueing the game when he played in college, but he’s happen to be the main person here.
“He’s trying to pick up everything on the fly and it’s gonna be some bad days. There’s gonna be growing pains. But you know what? You gotta fail in order to grow and gain — and get better.”
Mavericks coach on his philosophy about playing Cooper Flagg at point guard
Playing point guard isn’t easy, especially for rookies who weren’t trained to be one coming into the NBA. However, the Mavericks think that they would gain from having Cooper Flagg in that specific role. After their 122-110 loss to the Detroit Pistons, head coach Jason Kidd was asked about his philosophy in playing Flagg as the lead guard.
“There’s a couple of things behind him playing (PG). One is our health…The other part of handling the ball is being able to handle the pressure when April comes around & you’re playing for something greater,” Kidd said.
Kidd sees Flagg as another facilitator for the team and someone who could control the ball, make smart plays and allow them to have more playmaking options.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
