While fans are waiting to see if Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg turns out to be a generational talent for the team, his role in his first year in the league could be an interesting one. With Mavericks star Kyrie Irving still recovering from a torn ACL and his timeline to return in the air, some ESPN NBA insiders discuss the possibility that Flagg will play a role that could be shocking to some.
On the podcast “Brian Windhorst and The Hoop Collective,” he would be joined by Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon about what the starting lineup could look like in Dallas. With the discussion of Klay Thompson possibly coming off the bench, Bontemps would point out that Flagg could start at the point guard position.
“Are we sure they’re not going to start, let’s say, Dereck Lively soon as he’s healthy?” Bontemps said. “Anthony Davis, PJ Washington, Klay Thompson, and Cooper Flagg at Point Guard? Are we sure they’re not doing that? Are we sure they’re starting D'Angelo Russell over Klay Thompson?”
MacMahon would say that he “cannot completely rule out that possibility” with the number of possibilities Dallas has for their starting lineup. Windhorst himself said he would “be stunned” if the team did that, though he also would not rule it out.
“I have had no conversations about this. I would be stunned if you start Cooper Flagg at point guard,” Windhorst said. “I’m not saying he’s not going to play point guard, but I would be stunned.”
It could be “easier” starting Mavericks' Cooper Flagg at point guard
As rumors around the Mavericks will continue up until the first starting lineup steps on the floor on Oct. 22 in the opener against the San Antonio Spurs. It is widely understood that Flagg is a forward, though one could say that one of the reasons why he was the No. 1 overall pick in the last NBA Draft is due to his elite play-making, and giving him the chance to play point guard could showcase that.
Bontemps would go as far as to say that Dallas has “talked about it a little bit” in regards to Flagg playing point guard and that it could be easier to do that, rather than benching Thompson.
“They’ve talked about it a little bit, and it might be easier to start him at point guard than it would be to have Klay Thompson come off the bench,” Bontemps wrote.
There's no doubt that the expectations are high for Flagg as he's far and away the heavy favorite to win Rookie of the Year, as shown in ESPN's latest poll.
“This award tends to be about the confluence of talent and circumstance, and Flagg enters the league with an optimal combination of both,” Jeremy Woo of ESPN wrote.
It remains to be seen what Flagg's role will be, but there's no denying a lot of eyes will be on the Duke product this upcoming season for the Mavericks.
