Ever since the Mavericks won the NBA draft lottery, Cooper Flagg’s fit on the Dallas roster has been a hot topic.
The Mavericks will be piecing together their point guard rotation while they await the return of Kyrie Irving, who is still recovering from ACL surgery. If preseason lineups are any indication, Flagg is apparently an option to help fill out that rotation.
With D’Angelo Russell out, Flagg started at point guard alongside P.J. Washington, Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II on Monday night against the Jazz. It’s an ultra-big lineup that features the 6-foot-9 Flagg at point. Thompson is 6-foot-5, Washington is 6-foot-7, Davis is 6-foot-10 and Lively is listed at 7-foot-1, though he said he grew to 7-2 or 7-3 at media day.
In his first two preseason games, Flagg has totaled 21 points, seven assists and nine rebounds in 38 minutes. However, he had his first rough night of the season. Flagg made just 3 of 13 shots in Dallas’ 114-101 win, finishing with 11 points, seven rebounds, an assist, two steals and two blocks in 21 minutes.
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It was speculated that the No. 1 pick in the draft could possibly play some point guard for Dallas with Irving out. In his lone season at Duke, the forward displayed some intriguing playmaking ability, averaging 4.2 assists and 2.1 turnovers per game .
“When they pulled the [No. 1] envelope out and it said the Dallas Mavericks, my mind said, ‘Jason Kidd is going to play him at the point,’” former NBA player Brian Scalabrine said over the summer. “It would not surprise me, especially with Kyrie Irving out, if he dabbles with Cooper at the point.
“And I’m not saying point forward, like Draymond Green. I’m saying point guard, like get us into our offense and set us up.”
The 18-year-old got his first opportunity to showcase his playmaking in the point guard role in his third preseason game vs. Utah.
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