2025 No. 1 overall NBA Draft choice, Cooper Flagg, only saw two games' worth of Las Vegas Summer League action before being shut down until the 2025 NBA regular season. However, Mavericks' head coach Jason Kidd just got Duke and Mavericks fans pumped up to see Flagg in a Mavericks uniform, with the veteran head coach going as far as to say he's "lucky" to be the former Blue Devil's coach.
"Cooper Flagg is really mature for an 18-year old," Kidd told ESPN. "Plays both ends hard. Offensively, can score and pass. He has a high IQ defensively, solid all-around, a great young man. I'm lucky to be his coach"
Kidd has already announced his plans to experiment with Flagg and get him comfortable in positions on the floor where Flagg hadn't played much at all. He put Flagg at the point guard spot regularly throughout the Summer League, gauging how the generational prospect can run an offense after thriving as a two or three during his collegiate days.
Flagg's Summer League debut certainly showed some growing pains as the 6'9 wing adjusts to running the show, as he finished with 10 points on 5-21 (23.8%) shooting from the field and 0-of-5 shooting from three. However, Flagg had an instant impact in other facets of the game. The prized rookie tallied six rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Flagg attacked the basket with intent off the dribble and knew when to kick out to open teammates, while also being extremely disruptive from different areas of the court on the defensive side of the ball.
It only took one game for the 6'9 wing to adjust, as Flagg was dominant in his second Summer League game against the San Antonio Spurs, where he faced off against No. 2 overall 2025 NBA Draft pick Dylan Harper.
In a 76-69 loss to San Antonio, Flagg finished with a game-high 31 points to go along with four rebounds on 10-of-21 (47.6%) shooting from the field and 3-of-9 (33.3%) shooting from beyond the perimeter. Flagg looked much more comfortable with the ball in his hands on the perimeter, looking for his own offense a bit more than looking for teammates.
As the regular season rolls around, it will be intriguing to follow how often Kidd plays Flagg at the point, given that Kyrie Irving will miss a large chunk of next season after suffering a torn ACL in March. The Mavericks brought in veteran D'Angelo Russell via free agency this offseason, but true ring leader depth lacks in Dallas outside of him. With a crowded frontcourt that could limit Flagg's volume offensively, playing him at the point could be a regular occurrence through Flagg's rookie campaign.