Dallas Mavericks president Masai Ujiri made it pretty clear. This is Cooper Flagg's team, and anything he and general manager Mike Schmitz will do will be based on their 19-year-old star. That's why head coach Dusty May said that Flagg will be unleashed next season and play virtually every position. That may be unleashing the beast, but it spells more red flags than green ones.
Flagg has already done his duty leading the team in points, rebounds, assists and steals. The only other rookie to do that is Michael Jordan. He's already on track to be a legend, but Flagg playing the one through the four may tire him out. Here's what May said about his young star: (h/t Mike Curtis from The Dallas Morning News)
"Last year, Coop played a lot at the point, and that expedited his growth, where he's playmaking, and the ball's in his hands...I think he'll shoot more 3-pointers. We gotta get him more space."
Playing Cooper Flagg in 1-4 positions could tire him out more
Now, there's a point by May here. Flagg can play from point guard to power forward in a physical sense. He was playing power forward reps at Duke and his rookie season with Dallas.
But this draft was supposed to find his running mate so he could take on a more consistent role. Morez Johnson Jr. was drafted to take the load off Flagg and play as a physical, rugged power forward. The former Michigan big has already proven that in the summer league.
Not to mention that Santi Aldama was traded, and he can stretch the four position. He's also getting better, and he's only in his mid-20s.
What about P.J. Washington? He can play the three or the four, but he's better as a four. His shooting needs to be consistent, but he can get hot shooting at times. There's also a chance that Washington gets traded, so the Mavs may be trying to look at life without him.
May's idea isn't bad, but playing Flagg in all four positions isn't sustainable. It may have been at Duke, or when the Mavs didn't really have much of a set plan last year (mostly due to injuries), but this offseason was supposed to help him focus on playing small forward, or even point guard at times.
The Mavs have enough big men to make it work, and he doesn't need to play all of those positions.
There's no doubt Flagg has the potential to be the most versatile Dallas Maverick to ever play in franchise history. With much respect to Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic, they were dominant, but their defense wasn't the best. Flagg has range and energy to recover and make a block, and his athleticism is already off the charts.
May's idea isn't bad. In fact, it may end up working. He's one of the hottest coaches in college basketball and the NBA, but this offseason was supposed to have Flagg focused on playing two positions at most.
Hopefully, Flagg doesn't get worn out by this plan.
Add us as a preferred source on Google