One of the biggest question marks in the Dallas Mavericks dressing room ahead of the preseason centred around Cooper Flagg. The reigning top overall pick from the 2025 NBA Draft has been labelled a generational talent by many fans and experts. The Mavs certainly believe so, as Dallas pins their hope on the 18-year-old after the Luka Doncic trade last season. NBA legend Channing Frye, however, advises caution and patience.
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Flagg certainly has all the tools to be incredibly successful in his rookie season. However, the adjustment to the NBA level isn’t something that just happens. Flagg seems to have done fairly well in the pre season, averaging 11.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 21.7 minutes per game.
He has shown his tremendous defensive versatility by protecting the rim and locking down the perimeter. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the Mavericks have shown interest at putting Flagg at the point guard position throughout games.
In the Mavericks’ recent preseason outing against the Los Angeles Lakers, Flagg played some serious minutes in that position. But as enticing as that sounds, Frye implores folks not to get ahead of themselves.
“Cooper Flagg is going to struggle defensively until December,” Frye said. “They’re going at him,” he predicted.
Frye’s conclusion came after witnessing Gabe Vincent give Flagg the work. Vincent, who averaged just 6.4 points per game in the 2024-25 season, exploded for 22 points with Flagg as his primary defender.
Of course, Flagg won’t be the team’s primary point guard as D’Angelo Russell will hold down that spot for most of the year. But this is something to keep in mind, considering Vincent pales in comparison to other incredibly talented guards in the league.
One thing worth noting for Mavericks fans, this isn’t head coach Jason Kidd’s first rodeo. Frye understands Kidd knows what he’s doing and uses an example from his previous coaching tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks to preach patience.
“When J-Kidd did that with Giannis, he struggled a little bit. Then all of a sudden, he exploded. And then became Defensive Player of the Year,” Frye proclaimed.
Frye isn’t comparing Flagg to the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo. What he is doing is stating the two could share a similar career trajectory thanks to Kidd. Flagg is still only 18 years old with plenty of time to develop into a great player. For context, Antetokounmpo was 22 years old when he finally made that jump to an All-Star.
So, then what should the expectation be for Flagg during his rookie season? Richard Jefferson had a few numbers to offer.
“I think between 15 and 17 [points],” Jefferson said. “If he goes above that, then I think the team is not excelling. If he gets up to 18 and 20, that means he’s either really that guy or their team is struggling and he’s getting more opportunity.”
Jefferson makes a fair point, considering the Mavericks aren’t a typical team for a top overall pick. Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, D’Angelo Russell and P.J. Washington will all be contributing on offense. Eventually, Kyrie Irving will join the mix once he recovers from his ACL injury.
This means, Flagg won’t immediately have to shoulder such a heavy responsibility. But he will have the responsibility of having the ball in his hands. Jason Kidd has already made that public knowledge, which has made former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins put all his money on the Duke graduate.
“That means he’s doing everything that he needs to do behind the scenes to show J-Kidd that he’s actually ready,” Perkins declared.
Everyone around Flagg has only had positive things to say about the youngster’s work ethic. He may not dominate immediately, but the stage is set for him to have one heck of a rookie season.
