There’s still more than a month until former Duke star and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Cooper Flagg, makes his professional debut, but the hype and talk surrounding his rookie season has been nothing like it since LeBron James took the NBA stage in 2003.
With a 1.8 percent chance of winning the top pick, the Mavericks caught a massive break in landing Flagg, who, during his one season at Duke, won every individual award possible.
The 6-foot-9 superstar will likely start at small forward for Jason Kidd’s team, but NBA fans may see him at an interesting position: point guard.
Yes, with starting point guard Kyrie Irving out, Kidd will try to use Flagg in the same way he did former NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo at the one spot.
From The Athletic:
Early in Giannis Antetokounmpo’s career in Milwaukee, then-Bucks coach Jason Kidd gave the “Greek Freak” plenty of on-ball reps. Antetokounmpo said it helped spur his development.
“He trusted me,” Antetokounmpo said in 2018. “He put the ball in my hands. He pushed me to be great.”
Kidd seems ready to try something similar with Flagg, the rookie who won’t turn 19 until December. Kidd in June said he wanted to put Flagg at point guard in an effort to push him. The two games Flagg played at summer league in Las Vegas suggested Kidd wasn’t kidding. Flagg got Dallas into its offense early and often.
The 6-foot-8 Flagg is power forward-sized, but he might not play that position much this season because of the frontcourt pieces the Mavericks already have around him. Flagg displayed excellent passing chops at Duke, where he led his team in assists. He’s a good lob thrower — a nice skill to have on a team with Davis, Lively and Gafford as vertical threats.”
Flagg at point guard is definitely an intriguing watch.