Jason Kidd did not confirm Monday that Cooper Flagg will be the Dallas Mavericks’ starting point guard in Wednesday night’s opener against the Spurs, but don’t be surprised if he is. In the Mavericks’ last two preseason games, they went with a massive starting five: Flagg, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II.
“When we’re looking at him starting at the point guard, it’s probably more of a point-forward situation,” Kidd told reporters. “But technically we gotta list someone at the point guard position, so I guess we’re listing him at the point guard position.”
Flagg, the No. 1 pick in the draft, is one of the more well-rounded 18-year-old basketball players who has ever lived. He’s a 6-foot-9 “forward,” but at Duke he did everything. He can run pick-and-roll, isolate, post up, set screens, cut and come off pindowns. It makes sense that Kidd wants to empower him, particularly with Kyrie Irving sidelined for at least the first few months of the season. What does it say about Dallas, though, that the rest of that lineup five looks like this? With Davis and Lively sharing the frontcourt, Flagg is going to be saddled with subpar spacing. And with Thompson and Washington on the wing, Flagg is going to have an enormous playmaking burden.
That’s my concern, anyway. The counter-argument, I suppose, is that defense wins championships.
The State of Play
Last year: I have no idea what occurred during the 2024-25 season, actually. I know that Luka Dončić led the Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals, and, obviously, I’m aware that Flagg is on the team now. I’m guessing Dončić demanded a trade and Dallas swapped him for the top pick, but my internet is being weird right now so I can’t confirm that. Must be an Amazon Web Services issue.
The offseason: The Mavs picked Flagg first overall, and the next day they signed undrafted guard Ryan Nembhard to a two-way contract. They re-signed Irving (three years, $118.5 million, player option), extended Washington (four years, $88.8 million) and Daniel Gafford (three years, $54.5 million) and brought back Danté Exum for the minimum. They also added D’Angelo Russell (two years, $11.7 million, player option), waived former No. 24 overall pick Olivier-Maxence Prosper and hired Frank Vogel as Kidd’s lead assistant.
Las Vegas over/under: 41.5 wins, per FanDuel Sportsbook
The Conversation
Mavericks believer: Cooper Flagg landing in Dallas was a miracle. It is amazing how one player can entirely, instantaneously change a franchise’s outlook. If Anthony Davis sprains his ankle on opening night, they still have Flagg. If Kyrie Irving can’t play a single game this season, they still have Flagg. The Mavs made a big bet on the Davis-Irving partnership, but if that peaked in Davis’ debut, well, they still have Flagg. This is not to say, though, that Dallas can’t compete right away. It absolutely can, and it should be easier to win games without the suffocating pressure to do so.
Mavericks skeptic: Yeah, “miracle” is the right word: They had a 1.8% chance of landing the No. 1 pick. I’m happy for Mavs fans, but I still can’t believe Nico Harrison actually uttered the words, “Fortune favors the bold.” I agree with you, too, that Flagg’s presence has subdued a previously fraught, volatile situation, but I have a question: What exactly do you mean by “compete right away?” Like, compete for what? You don’t think this oddly shaped team is a contender, do you? Spacing is important! Playmaking is important! Point-of-attack defense is important! I’d figured that Dallas would make an effort to balance out the roster in the offseason, but, in retrospect, I should’ve known better than to assume it would do the rational thing.
Mavericks believer: Huh? Did you want the Mavs to waste precious resources on another ballhandler even though they know Irving is going to fix that issue? D’Angelo Russell is a perfectly fine stopgap, and they got him at the right price. Personally, I’m hoping that they never even have to start Russell. Flagg is not a conventional PG, but his playmaking ability is what made him one of the best prospects in recent memory. He’s a rare bird, so let him spread his wings. If he grows into an All-Star as quickly as I think he will and Irving is in All-NBA form by playoff time, there’s no reason this team can’t contend right away. We’ve already seen Washington hold his own at the point of attack in Dallas, by the way, and the same is true of Max Christie, Naji Marshall and Danté Exum. (Exum has been dealing with a right knee injury, but, just like with Irving coming off a torn ACL, this doesn’t mean we should forget he exists.)
Mavericks skeptic: You know who’s a pretty good perimeter defender? Quentin Grimes. He can knock down 3s and create off the bounce, too! Such a shame the Mavs gave up a second-round pick in order to turn him into Caleb Martin at last year’s deadline. Anyway, as versatile as Washington has proven to be on defense, he’s not exactly my first choice to defend Stephen Curry or De’Aaron Fox. This is just one of the reasons why the Flagg-at-1, Davis-at-4 lineups are cumbersome. Sure, Dallas should be able to dominate the glass and save Davis some wear and tear, but, in addition to the obvious offensive downsides, it makes matchups complicated. Thompson is best guarding 4s, but how often will he be able to do that? Transition defense could be an adventure, too. I preferred positionless basketball when it meant that teams were putting more ballhandling, shooting and speed on the floor.
Mavericks believer: If the Rockets could play Steven Adams, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson together last season — and win those minutes by 36.5 points per 100 possessions! — then surely the Mavs can give jumbo ball a try. Regardless of whether or not it ends up working, you’re fixating way too much on one starting unit that may or may not be the opening-night starting lineup. What do you think about an Irving-Exum-Christie-Flagg-Davis unit? How about Russell-Marshall-Flagg-Washington-Lively? These lineups are available to Kidd (or, in the case of the first one, will eventually be available) and I trust that he’ll turn to them when necessary. And if the size of this team does turn out to be “cumbersome,” as you put it, then it’s nice that Gafford and Washington signed such fair extensions and Lively is on a rookie deal. The Mavs should have no problem getting good value for any of those guys on the trade market.
Mavericks skeptic: I never even considered the possibility that they might trade Lively. That would be an outrageously stupid decision, but I guess I shouldn’t put it past them. Look, I’m aware that there is no rule preventing Dallas from playing Davis at the 5 and Flagg at the 4. This roster construction, though, tells us that the organization has no real interest in doing that. It’s almost as if the Mavs are catering to Davis, who sees himself as a power forward despite the mountain of evidence that he’s best as a center, instead of catering to Flagg. If it were me, I would have already traded Davis, who is 32 years old and will be extension-eligible next summer, and reoriented the entire franchise around its new face. That’s how you plant your Flagg.