Mavericks move from Doncic to Flagg supported by veteran stars
Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving are helping the No. 1 overall pick adjust to playoff expectations in his rookie season.
THE FACE OF KYRIE IRVING broke into a big smile as he approached Cooper Flagg near the Dallas Mavericks dugout, a stark contrast to the American Airlines Center scoreboard at the time.
It was midway through the third quarter of the season opener, and almost nothing had gone as expected for Flagg at that point in his highly anticipated NBA debut. He had more turnovers than points, and Dallas trailed the San Antonio Spurs by 15 points when Flagg returned to the court after a timeout. He stopped to listen to Irving, who approached him, applauding enthusiastically and offering good vibes along with words of encouragement.
“Keep your head up!” Irving told Flagg.
Irving, like his teammate Anthony Davis, understands the media pressure that comes with being the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. But both began their NBA careers with the Cleveland Cavaliers and New Orleans Pelicans, respectively, two franchises that were in the early stages of a rebuild. Flagg’s situation is far from usual, since he arrived in Dallas just one season after the Mavericks played in the NBA Finals. He joined a squad with many veterans and with the pressure to win now, even knowing that Irving will still take months to recover from his knee surgery.
“The first thing you tell him is to have fun and enjoy yourself,” Irving told AM850 during the preseason. “The work is just beginning, but it’s pretty unique given his situation. Being the first pick in the draft comes with pressure and a lot of desire to influence the team. You want everyone to know who you are and earn everyone’s respect. That’s what it takes in this league. No condescension is allowed here.
“For me, it’s about making sure he doesn’t feel overwhelmed or that the pressure is too much for him.”
Flagg’s first week in the NBA had mixed results, as coach Jason Kidd tested him by playing point guard, a position the rookie had never played.
There have been moments where Flagg’s potential to change the course of the franchise has shined, like his spectacular dunk on Toronto’s Sandro Mamukelashvili on a fast break. That was the highlight of Flagg’s first NBA victory, where he scored 22 points. And without a turnover, joining Kobe Bryant as the only players in NBA history with a 20-point game and zero turnovers before turning 19.
There have also been times when Flagg has gone unnoticed. He did not score in the first half of his debut and did not register any assists in the game, a crushing defeat against the Spurs, where the defensive pressure of the reigning Rookie of the Year, Stephon Castle, made it difficult to start the attack. Flagg didn’t play in the clutch, save for a couple of late defensive possessions, and finished with just two points and no assists in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder the night after his magnificent performance against the Toronto Raptors.
“He’s 18 years old,” Kidd recalled. “He’s going to play well; he’s going to make some mistakes.” “You will learn from both wins and losses, but being in this situation early in your career will only make you better moving forward.”
The challenges for Flagg are not limited to the court. His only season at Duke, where he was perhaps the most promising player in the history of the prestigious program, prepared him as best as possible for the expectations and demands of a number one draft pick, considered by many to be a generational prospect. But now he has the added pressure of joining a franchise still reeling from the most controversial trade in NBA history while dealing with fame and playoff expectations.
“It’s a lot mentally,” Flagg said after his first victory. “It’s a lot. I’ve been through a lot in the last few months. It’s been a whirlwind, so I’m just trying to take some time to adjust.”
“It doesn’t always turn out perfect the first time. So I’m discovering day by day, game by game, minute by minute, how I can help my team in the best way. I think I’m starting to feel more comfortable, without a doubt.”
FLAGG IMAGINED that he would be asked that question when he met with the Dallas media for the first time a couple of days after the draft. He glanced at his twin brother, Ace, who was sitting in the front row, and tried to suppress a wry smile when asked about following in Luka Doncic’s footsteps as the face of the Mavericks franchise.
“I come with the intention of learning and improving every day,” Flagg admitted then. “If I can do the best I can, I think the expectations and pressure that others place on me and the team will take care of themselves. So I just try to get there, do my best and win at the highest level.”
Despite Flagg’s concentration on basketball, the strange chain of events that brought him to Dallas continues to weigh on the organization, starting with general manager Nico Harrison’s surprising decision to trade a perennial MVP candidate in the prime of his career to the Los Angeles Lakers in early February.
The torn ACL Irving suffered in early March, a key factor in Dallas falling out of the playoff race and earning those 1.8% lottery odds that landed Flagg, is healing. Fans’ emotional wounds, derived from the feeling of betrayal, could take time to heal.
The team’s fans have enthusiastically welcomed the rookie. His No. 32 jersey is the only one seen more frequently than Doncic’s No. 77 at home, with fans chanting “Flagg!” in unison at the right moment during the performance of the American national anthem. But the fans have not forgiven the board. In the heavy losses against the Spurs and the modest Washington Wizards at the beginning of the season, they chanted “Out Nico!”
It’s a topic Flagg wisely avoids.
“I’m just focused on the game,” Flagg said after the loss to the Wizards, noting that he hadn’t noticed the crowd chanting. “I didn’t even listen to that. I’m listening to the coach, to the guys on the team, to the veterans, trying to find every possible way to help the team positively influence the game. I try to isolate myself from all that.”
Flagg filled Doncic’s spot on the Mavericks’ starting lineup, but no one reasonably expects the newcomer to replace the superstar’s production immediately, if ever.
Doncic led the league in scoring with a franchise-record 33.9 points per game in his final full season in Dallas, where he also averaged 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists. Flagg averaged 13.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists during Dallas’ five-game home series to start the season. The Mavericks have gone 2-3 despite ranking second-to-last in the league in offensive efficiency, scoring just 103.5 points per 100 possessions, a figure that drops to 95.6 with Flagg on the court.
“He’s working hard to become the best in the world,” Kidd said. “It will take time.”
IRVING USUALLY HAS THE SHADOW of a 6-foot-9 player in their post-practice sessions, practicing shots together and taking turns playing one-on-one against an assistant coach. The rookie imitates the movements of the nine-time All-Star. Irving is happy to offer support and share his experience, but his absence has created a glaring void in ball-handling and playmaking, which falls primarily on Flagg while the veteran recovers.
Mavericks veterans, especially those with Hall of Fame-worthy resumes, try to minimize the pressure Flagg feels.
“Normally, with a lot of number ones in the draft, you have to save a franchise,” five-time All-Star Klay Thompson told AM850. “I just told him, ‘Your first year is like a free throw. You don’t need to have expectations.'”
Davis, the 10-time All-Star center who was the key piece in Doncic’s trade, believes it is his responsibility to protect the rookie from the burden of leading the franchise, at least for now.
“We want him to be confident, but not worry about the pressure,” Davis told AM850. “I’ll take care of the pressure. J. Kidd will take care of the pressure. When Kyrie comes back, he’ll take care of the pressure. We want him to go out on the court and just play basketball. He’ll have pressure in three, four, five years, when we’ll probably all be out of the league.”
“He’s going to be a great player, but we want him to develop. We don’t want to rush him or anything like that. But he also knows he wants to win, and we know we want to win.”
There’s a dose of reality that comes with Flagg’s birth date. He won’t turn 19 until December 21, as he skipped a year ahead in high school so he could enter the NBA a year early.
There has never been an 18-year-old player with a starring role on an NBA playoff team.
Despite his brilliance, Bryant did not play in his first regular-season game due to a coach’s decision, and averaged 7.6 points on 41.7% shooting from the field, with more turnovers than assists in his rookie season. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Tracy McGrady had discreet performances, mainly as substitutes, on underperforming teams.
LeBron James posted by far the best numbers of any player that young, averaging 20.9 points on 41.7% shooting from the field, 5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game during his Rookie of the Year season. However, the Cavaliers, coming off a season with just 17 wins, finished with a 35-47 record.
“We have championship aspirations, but we also know where we are as a team, growing and establishing ourselves, not only now, but also moving forward,” Irving said. “So it is important that he has a good head on his shoulders, which he already has. He is very mature for his age, and it is not very common to find an 18-year-old in your franchise who, being the youngest, has a maturity inappropriate for his age.
But at the end of the day, he’s only 18 years old. So we must respect that. And he’s still a kid who needs to develop.”
The Mavericks anticipate fluctuations in Flagg’s stats as a rookie. That’s no problem as long as the relentless competitiveness that Kidd has described as Flagg’s “superpower” is constant.
Flagg’s favorite Kidd play so far wasn’t a viral play. In fact, it didn’t even appear in the statistics. It happened when Flagg dove to the ground between two Spurs to fight for a loose ball when the Mavericks trailed by 19 points late in the third quarter of the opener.
As long as Flagg maintains that level of effort, the Mavericks will gladly accept their early struggles.
“I think the pressure they put on me is just to be myself,” Flagg concluded. “Just to be who I know I can be and the person I’ve been my whole life so far. So I don’t feel any pressure from them. They always want me to be the best and be who I am.”
