Mavericks co-GM Matt Riccardi believes the league overlooks Cooper Flagg's exceptional talent, calling the rising star a "blessing beyond belief" to witness.
DALLAS — Cooper Flagg is averaging 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists through 49 games this season. Dallas Mavericks co-interim GM Matt Riccardi thinks the rest of the league still isn't paying enough attention.
Appearing on Sportsradio 96.7 FM/1310 The Ticket Thursday, Riccardi didn't hold back.
"I think this is a crazy thing to say: We're all taking him for granted," Riccardi said. "And by we, I mean the world. The national media, the NBA in general. This young man is so talented and so genuine and self-aware to who he is and comfortable in his skin. Just a great teammate, incredibly high IQ. Plays the game the right way. We're blessed beyond belief to be able to witness this guy on a daily basis."
Flagg, 19, is shooting 48.2% from the field and 80.4% from the free-throw line in 34.1 minutes a night. He's chipping in 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks per game too — quietly one of the better two-way profiles among rookie forwards in recent memory.
Riccardi said he first saw Flagg play when the forward was around 15 or 16, running with Team USA. What he saw then is what he sees now.
"He's one of the rare players who can play with anyone," Riccardi said. "His self-awareness and maturity are off the charts."
Even in a college season at SMU that Riccardi acknowledged was uneven at times, the versatility and IQ still jumped out.
Dallas won the right to take Flagg by landing the No. 1 pick in last spring's lottery. Riccardi was the team's man in the room — no phone, no internet, completely cut off — and had to sit on the news for about 30 minutes while everyone else was in the dark.
"I'm sitting in there, and I want to celebrate with our guys who are all at dinner," he said. "And I'm stuck in that room, and I can't share it with anyone, and I got a room full of people from other organizations, my counterparts that I'm close friends with, that want to kill me."
Kyrie Irving won't play again this season as he works back from injury. Riccardi said the organization made the call together — the bigger picture was getting Irving right heading into next year, when he'll line up alongside Flagg on a team that has real expectations again.
Riccardi and Michael Finley were elevated to co-interim GM roles in February. The Mavericks host Memphis on Saturday.