Dallas Mavericks fans might still be reeling from the heartbreak they endured seeing Luka Doncic traded to the LA Lakers. But getting Cooper Flagg is a silver lining.
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Going into the new season, the Mavericks will hope Flagg can repeat his Duke performance. And all their fans will be watching how he copes in the league. Joining them will be Mavericks’ legend Dirk Nowitzki, who believes once Kyrie Irving comes back from injury, the team will be good enough to compete for silverware.
“If you look at the front court, it’s loaded with talented players. The backcourt, they have two to three players in every position, especially when Kyrie comes back,” Nowitzki said on the DLSS Sports YouTube channel.
Now, Flagg isn’t suddenly being expected to rise to Doncic’s stature right away and deliver MVP-level performances. This, after all, is his first year of dining at the big boys’ table. But with time, as he continues to work on his already stellar skillset, Flagg is expected to be the face of the franchise.
Nowitzki, who’s won a championship with the Mavs, is certainly going to share some advice with Flagg, as the two pair up for the 7th annual Dirk Nowitzki Foundation Tennis Classic in Dallas. Nowitzki is excited that Flagg is joining the event and reveals that he has been in touch with him for some time.
“I have never met him. I have been in touch a little bit after he got drafted and reached out to him, obviously. Wanted to congratulate him and welcome him,” the former Mavs star said, adding that they had initiated a conversation with Flagg to see if he was in town and could come out and support his initiative.
Flagg graciously accepted the invite, even though, as Nowitzki puts it, he is not a tennis guy but a golfer. “We are not sure what he is going to do, but he’s going to come out to support,” added Dirk.
And as far as offering his advice on how to succeed in the NBA, Nowitzki said that while he extended a helping hand, he’s not one to push his opinions on people. He never did it while playing with Doncic, and he doesn’t plan to start that now with Flagg.
Speaking about the first text he sent Flagg, Nowitzki said, “‘Hey, welcome. Obviously, congrats on being the first pick and welcome to Dallas. If there’s anything you ever need, I don’t know, advice, dinner, or basketball or whatever, I am just a phone call away.’ So that’s how I left it, and that’s how I always was with Luca.”
Nowitzki asserted that if someone is ready, they are ready, and if they are not, that’s okay too, since time will most likely take care of it.
“I was supposed to mentor Luka, but Luka, the way he read the game, he was so smart. His IQ was out of this world. He should have probably mentored me on reading the game and how to see the game. So he didn’t need much from me at all,” Nowitzki explained, sharing his experience dealing with Doncic.
Hopefully, Flagg won’t need much intervention from Dirk either. But it does always help having someone who’s done it before to show you the way.
