After Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd reacted to Cooper Flagg's preseason debut, he also highlighted another player who's grabbed his attention amid preseason. Mavericks guard Brandon Williams earned high praise from Kidd. Converting from a two-way contract to a standard deal, Williams agreed to a $2.3 million contract last season. And as Kyrie Irving recovers from a season-ending ACL injury, Brandon is fighting for a role off the bench.
Williams joins D'Angelo Russell, Klay Thompson, Jaden Hardy, and Ryan Nembhard in the Mavericks' backcourt, where he's shined throughout the preseason, as Kidd noted after practice on Thursday, per The Dallas Morning News' Mike Curtis.
“I thought at the end of the summer, he was playing at a high level,” Kidd said. “When he's healthy, he's a problem.”
Brandon Williams suffered a hamstring injury during practice in early October. He's expected to miss about a week, which included the Mavs' preseason opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday. Dallas beat the Thunder 106-89. Flagg finished with 10 points, six rebounds, and three assists. PJ Washington's 14 points off the bench led the team in scoring.
Cooper Flagg's debut draws reaction from Mavericks' Jason Kidd
Head coach Jason Kidd said plenty about the Mavericks' preseason opener, including his take on Cooper Flagg's preseason debut. Kidd says Flagg is off to a good start, which is something that's carried over from the start of training camp, and the Mavericks head coach broke down the rookie's approach on both ends of the floor.
“He was great. Cooper did an incredible job for us. He's been doing this for us since training camp started in Vancouver. You got to see the defensive side. You got to see the playmaking. And then the scoring ability. He was really, really good tonight,” Kidd said, per Curtis.
Flagg converted two of his three 3-point attempts, going 50% from the field on 3-of-6 attempts, 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, and also produced a block on the night in 14 minutes against the Thunder on Monday. The Mavericks will face the Hornets in their second preseason outing on Saturday.
