The Dallas Mavericks are fully committed to first overall pick Cooper Flagg. The former Duke superstar enters Summer League with an extraordinary level of hype and potential\u2014something not every No. 1 pick brings. Flagg joins a strong Mavericks roster, and finding a consistent spot in the lineup might be a challenge, according to Cleveland\u2019s Lonzo Ball.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn today\u2019s NBA, I would play him at the four. [Cooper at the three] it would depend. It\u2019s all a matchup. Like whoever they are playing against. Because if I play him at the three and then I got Gafford or Lively in, with Davis too, like we better get every rebound. And defense. Like, hit the glass hard. But then if I want to play small ball, I\u2019ll push him to the four. Put AD at the five,\u201d Ball said.<\/a><\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n During his first press conference after the draft, head coach Jason Kidd didn\u2019t reveal which position Flagg would play. Instead, he emphasized that he wanted Flagg to be challenged, regardless of the role.<\/a> In his Summer League debut, Flagg showed he could handle the ball for the Mavericks.<\/p>\n “There’s been some buzz about Dallas wanting to play Flagg as a guard in the regular season, and Thursday suggested he can pull it off,” Bleacher Report\u2019s Andy Bailey wrote.<\/a> “And for the most part, he looked comfortable playing the role of de facto point guard. He showed playmaking instincts that must have Mavs fans excited, especially since head coach Jason Kidd carried out a similar experiment nearly a decade ago with Giannis Antetokounmpo.”<\/p>\n USA Today\u2019s Lorenzo Reyes offered an interesting perspective, suggesting that the best thing Dallas could do in Summer League is allow Flagg to struggle.<\/p>\n \u201cFor Flagg to excel, he\u2019ll need to lean into that exploratory work. And for the Mavericks to also excel, they would be wise \u2014 at least early on \u2014 to let him fail,\u201d Reyes wrote.<\/a><\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n