A veteran mentor offers rookie Cooper Flagg crucial guidance, sharing wisdom gained from navigating early career pressures and championship expectations.
The Dallas Mavericks might not be having the season they were hoping for so far, but there is a silver lining: Cooper Flagg.
It hasn't been necessarily easy for the former Duke Blue Devil with all of the pressure and expectations that have come with being one of the most hyped prospects in recent memory. But he has received some encouraging words from teammates and NBA Hall of Famers alike.
In a recent interview with ESPN's Malika Andrews, the 19-year-old phenom revealed that Kyrie Irving has been one of the biggest people helping him in his rookie year, despite the fact that they have yet to share the floor.
"He stepped in as a great vet for me and was just there, kind of giving me guidance," Flagg said. "Cause there were definitely times where I was shaken up. I had never lost that much in my life, but just to hear him say that and tell me that, that I'm doing everything I need to be doing and just to stay with it and stay positive, it definitely helped me out a lot."
Irving is out for the remainder of the season, rehabbing from an ACL tear that he suffered last season, but that does not mean that he can't do his best to guide Flagg in the right direction.
The veteran point guard knows a thing or two about big expectations, because he was a number one overall pick himself back in the 2011 NBA Draft. He went to the Cleveland Cavaliers following a season where they went 19-63, but they did not do much better in his rookie season.
Despite that fact, Irving led the Cavs in scoring in his first year in the league and went on to be a key contributor in their 2016 NBA Finals win. He even hit the clutch 3 over Stephen Curry that gave Cleveland the lead, as well as the momentum they needed to get the win.
So if there is one person that knows a thing or two about helping a team build themselves from the ground up, it's Kyrie.
And doing so after playing at Duke in college no less.
Flagg has the whole rest of his career in front of him, and could be one of the faces of the league for years to come. Kyrie might not play with him for long (if at all), but he can still do what he can to set the 19-year-old on the right course.