To some of us, it may sound like an echo from a not-so-distant past. How do we protect our superstar and franchise player from constantly getting hit and banged up – and carrying too much of the load?
“Health is the biggest thing,” Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said a few days ago about Cooper Flagg. “We’re looking for Cooper to come out of this (season) healthy.”
The focus is on injury prevention and finding ways to save his energy. In order to do that the coaching staff wants Flagg to take a new approach – or at least refocus his offensive game a little.
“Because he plays hard, because he attacks, he gets hit a lot, so that’s one of the areas that we want to make sure that he gets better at.”
And Kidd has a specific thing in mind that could help limit the amount of hits and bumps Flagg receives during the course of a game, but also save his energy: more shooting beyond the arc.
“He feels comfortable shooting it off the dribble,” Kidd said about Cooper Flagg. “We would like for him to get a little bit better at catch-and-shoot. Less energy spent, less banging.”
In many ways, this is not a new situation in Dallas. Not long ago, the calls for Luka Doncic to avoid getting banged up constantly were loud in the media and among fans. Back then, everyone wanted Luka Doncic to take more catch-and-shoot threes, as well. The issues were similar, but the question remains:
How do you save the energy of the franchise player and decrease the amount of times he gets hit and banged up during a game?
Back on January 1st, 2023, Jason Kidd talked in similar fashion about how Luka Doncic’s next step should be to learn to play in a way that would put less stress on his body:
“After that New York game, I wanted to see – could we say a Klay-type game where he had 5 dribbles and had 70 points? That’s the next step for him, to understand how to pick the defense apart without putting so much stress on his body.”
And in yet another repetition of past struggles in Dallas, fans and media alike have been calling out the referees for not protecting Cooper Flagg. The same sentiment was very prevalent around Doncic for most of his career.
But isn’t this an issue with all stars, especially in that rookie year? you might ask. And the answer could very likely be yes. But that doesn’t mean that we should just accept the status quo.
There are ways to protect stars, superstars and even rookies. Jason Kidd knows what he’s doing, he understands that catch-and-shoot threes would help decrease the hits which Flagg receives every game.
But that’s not the only solution. Running plays that encourage more catch-and-shoots, forcing the rookie to sometimes settle for the shot, would help.
Making sure there’s always players around him to share the physical load (or upgrade the roster to accommodate it), and a playmaker to set the table on offense.
And then there’s simply standing up for Flagg more during games from the coaches, reminding referees, pushing back, taking a tech sometimes to prove a point. All of this could make a big difference. Same in the press conferences after. Make sure the focus is on this issue, shape the narrative.
Look, I get it, I’m not a refs complainer either. But when you see how other coaches go to war for lesser incidents and often end up with a better whistle down the road, you have to consider starting the conversation. Here’s a good example of how Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr always campaigns on behalf of his players.
As it did with Doncic, it is now beginning to take a toll on Cooper Flagg. In last night’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, Flagg was clearly more agitated – both complaining more and showing bad body language, which seems to be an increasingly regular occurrence as the season wears on.
Obviously, this is a problem for the coaching staff to solve. They never really figured it out while Luka Doncic was in Dallas, but that doesn’t mean they won’t find a way to help Cooper Flagg.
It’s easy to sit behind a screen or in the arena and be an expert on how other people should do their jobs. It’s a different thing altogether to maneuver the situation on the floor in the moment it’s happening. Everybody who has played real and competitive basketball and coached knows that.
But the Mavs have to find a way to protect their franchise star one way or the other, and a concerted effort might be more effective than leaving the responsibility with the player.
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