{"id":345524,"date":"2025-10-31T12:20:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T12:20:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/345524\/"},"modified":"2025-10-31T12:20:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T12:20:11","slug":"the-mavs-are-turning-from-doncic-to-flagg-with-the-help-of-veteran-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/345524\/","title":{"rendered":"The Mavs are turning from Doncic to Flagg with the help of veteran stars"},"content":{"rendered":"


KYRIE IRVING<\/a>‘S FACE<\/strong>beamedwith a big smile as he approached Cooper Flagg<\/a> near the Dallas Mavericks<\/a>‘ bench, a stark contrast to the American Airlines Center scoreboard at that moment.<\/p>\n

It was midway through the third quarter of the season opener, and hardly anything had gone as hoped for Flagg at that point of his heavily anticipated NBA debut. He had more turnovers than points as Dallas trailed the San Antonio Spurs<\/a> by 15 when Flagg stepped back onto the floor after a timeout before stopping to listen as Irving approached him, the veteran clapping animatedly and offering good vibes along with words of encouragement.<\/p>\n

“Just keep your head up!” Irving told Flagg.<\/p>\n

Irving, like teammate Anthony Davis<\/a>, understands the glare of the spotlight that comes with being the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. But they began their NBA careers with the Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a> and New Orleans Pelicans<\/a>, respectively, two franchises that were in the early stages of a rebuild. Flagg’s situation is a far cry from that norm as he arrived in Dallas only a season removed from the Mavs making an NBA Finals appearance. He joined a veteran-heavy roster that has internal win-now expectations even with Irving still months away from returning from knee surgery.<\/p>\n

“The first thing you tell him is to have fun and enjoy yourself,” Irving told ESPN during the preseason. “The work is just getting started, but it is pretty unique in terms of the situation he’s in. But being a No. 1 pick is still going to come with the pressure, still going to come with a lot of the inner thoughts that you want to impose on the team. You want to let everybody know who you are, and you want to earn everybody’s respect. And that’s what it takes to be in this league. There’s no boys allowed.<\/p>\n

“For me, it’s just making sure he doesn’t get overwhelmed or it’s not too much for him.”<\/p>\n

The first week of Flagg’s career featured mixed results as coach Jason Kidd tossed him into the deep end, starting the 18-year-old at point guard, a position the rookie had never played.<\/p>\n

There have been moments when Flagg’s franchise-changing potential has popped, such as his poster dunk over Toronto’s Sandro Mamukelashvili<\/a> on a fast break. That was the highlight of Flagg’s first NBA victory<\/a>, when he finished with 22 points and no turnovers, joining Kobe Bryant as the only players in NBA history with a 20-point, zero-turnover outing before turning 19.<\/p>\n

There have also been stretches when Flagg has faded into the background. He was scoreless in the first half of his debut<\/a> and didn’t record an assist in the game, a blowout loss to the Spurs, when reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle<\/a>‘s pressure defense made initiating the offense difficult. Flaggsat out in crunch time<\/a>, save for a couple of late defensive possessions, and finished with only two points and no assists again in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> the night after his terrific performance against Toronto.<\/p>\n

“He’s 18 years old,” Kidd said. “He’s going to look good; he’s going to make some mistakes. He’s going to learn from winning and losing, but being in this seat early on in your career will only make him better as we go forward.”<\/p>\n

The challenges for Flagg aren’t just on the floor. His lone season at Duke, where he was perhaps the most hyped recruit in the prestigious program’s history, prepared Flagg as well as possible for the expectations and demands on a No. 1 pick widely billed as a generational prospect. But he has the added pressure of joining a franchise that is still reeling from the most controversial trade<\/a> in NBA history as he navigates fame and playoff expectations.<\/p>\n

“I mean, it’s a lot mentally,” Flagg said after his first win. “It’s a lot. I’ve been through a lot over the last couple months. It’s been a whirlwind, so just trying to take time to adjust and adapt.<\/p>\n

“It doesn’t always go perfect right away. So just figuring it out day by day, game by game, minute by minute how I can help my team in the best ways. I think I’m starting to get more comfortable for sure.”<\/p>\n

FLAGG FIGURED THE<\/strong> question would come as he met the Dallas media for the first time a couple of days after the draft. He gave a side-eye glance to his twin brother, Ace, who was seated in the front row, and attempted to suppress a smirk when asked about following in the footsteps of Luka Doncic<\/a> as the face of the Mavs’ franchise.<\/p>\n

“I’m coming in just trying to learn and trying to get better every single day,” Flagg said then. “If I can do that to the best of my ability, I think expectations and pressures that other people will put on me and our team, that will kind of work itself out. So I’m just trying to come in and be the best that I can be and just win at the highest level.”<\/p>\n

As focused as Flagg is on basketball, the bizarre chain of events<\/a> that brought him to Dallas continues to loom over the organization, beginning with general manager Nico Harrison’s stunning decision to trade a homegrown perennial MVP candidate entering his prime to the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> in early February.<\/p>\n

The torn ACL<\/a> that Irving suffered in early March, a major factor in Dallas tumbling out of the playoff picture to get those 1.8% lottery odds that landed Flagg, is healing. The fans’ emotional wounds, stemming from feelings of betrayal, might not any time soon.<\/p>\n

The team’s fans have embraced the rookie. His No. 32 jersey is the only one seen more often than Doncic’s No. 77 in home crowds, and fans shout “Flagg!” in unison at the appropriate time during the pregame renditions of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” But the fans haven’t forgiven management. They broke out into “Fire Nico!” chants<\/a> late in the lopsided losses to the Spurs and lowly Washington Wizards<\/a> to open the season.<\/p>\n

It’s a subject Flagg wisely avoids.<\/p>\n

“I’m just locked in on the game,” Flagg said after the loss to the Wizards, claiming he was unaware of any chants from the crowd. “I didn’t even hear those. I’m listening to Coach, listening to the guys on the team, the vets, just trying to figure out as many ways as I can to help the team impact the game in a positive way. I’m trying to tune all that stuff out.”<\/p>\n

Flagg slid into Doncic’s former spot in the Mavs’ starting lineup, but nobody reasonably expects the newcomer to replace the superstar’s production right away, if ever.<\/p>\n

Doncic led the league in scoring with a franchise-record 33.9 points per game in his last full season in Dallas, when he also averaged 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists. Flagg averaged 13.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists during Dallas’ five-game homestand to start the season. The Mavs have salvaged a 2-3 record despite ranking second to last in the league in offensive efficiency, scoring only 103.5 points per 100 possessions, a number that drops to 95.6 with Flagg on the floor.<\/p>\n

“He’s working at his craft to be the best in the world,” Kidd said. “It’s going to take some time.”<\/p>\n

IRVING OFTEN HAS<\/strong> a 6-foot-9 shadow in his post-practice sessions, shooting together and taking turns playing one-on-one against an assistant coach, the rookie mimicking moves the nine-time All-Star makes. Irving is happy to offer support and wisdom, but his absence created a glaring void of ballhandling and playmaking that falls largely on Flagg to fill while the veteran works his way back.<\/p>\n

The Mavs’ veterans, especially the few with Hall of Fame resumes, are attempting to minimize the burden Flagg feels.<\/p>\n

“Usually with a lot of No. 1 picks, you go and you got to save a franchise,” five-time All-Star Klay Thompson<\/a> told ESPN. “I just told him, ‘Your rookie year is like a free shot. You don’t need to have any expectations.'”<\/p>\n

Davis, the 10-time All-Star big man who was the headliner of the return in the Doncic deal, believes it’s his responsibility to shield the rookie from the burden of carrying the franchise — for now.<\/p>\n

“We want him to be confident but don’t worry about the pressure,” Davis told ESPN. “I’ll handle the pressure. J. Kidd will handle the pressure. When Kyrie comes back, he’ll handle the pressure. We want him to go out here and just play basketball. He’ll have pressure three, four or five years from now when we all probably going to be out [of] the league.”<\/p>\n

“He’s going to be great, but we want him to develop. We don’t want to rush him or anything. But also he knows he wants to win, and we know we want to win.”<\/p>\n

There’s a dose of reality that comes with the date on Flagg’s birth certificate. He won’t turn 19 until Dec. 21, having reclassified in high school to allow him to enter the NBA a year early.<\/p>\n

There has never been an 18-year-old playing a major role on an NBA playoff team.<\/p>\n

For all of Bryant’s brilliance, he didn’t play due to a coach’s decision in the first regular-season game of his career, and he averaged 7.6 points on 41.7% shooting with more turnovers than assists as a rookie. Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a> and Tracy McGrady had middling production, primarily as reserves, for bad teams.<\/p>\n

LeBron James<\/a> put up by far the best numbers of any player so young, averaging 20.9 points on 41.7% shooting, 5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game during his Rookie of the Year campaign. But the Cavaliers, who were coming off a 17-win season, finished with a 35-47 record.<\/p>\n

“We have championship aspirations, but we also know where we are as a team growing and building, not just now but for the future,” Irving said. “So it’s just important, man, that he has a good head on his shoulders, which he does already. He’s very mature for his age, and it’s not too often you get an 18-year-old in your franchise where he’s the youngest and he’s wise beyond his years.<\/p>\n

“But also, he’s still 18. So we got to respect that. And he’s still a kid that needs to be developed.”<\/p>\n

The Mavs anticipate that there will be fluctuations in Flagg’s statistical production as a rookie. That’s fine as long as the relentless competitiveness that Kidd has referred to as Flagg’s “superpower” is a constant.<\/p>\n

Kidd’s favorite play by Flagg so far wasn’t a viral highlight. In fact, it didn’t even show up in the box score. It occurred when Flagg dove on the floor between two Spurs to fight for a loose ball when the Mavs were trailing by 19 late in the third quarter of the opener.<\/p>\n

As long as Flagg gives that level of effort, the Mavs will gladly live with his growing pains.<\/p>\n

“I think the pressure they put on me is just to be myself,” Flagg said. “Just to be who I know I can be and the person I’ve been my whole life and up to this point. So I don’t feel any pressure from them. They always want me to be great and be who I am.”br\/]<\/p>\n

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