The Dallas Mavericks are openly experimenting with Cooper Flagg and his skillset, and Jason Kidd thinks he has the talents to join two do-all offensive players.
The Dallas Mavericks are not using Cooper Flagg to play winning basketball, but playing winning basketball is not the goal this season.
Instead, the team is focused on landing the best draft pick possible, continuing their rebuild, and giving Flagg the tools he needs to succeed down the line, not immediately.
As a result, Jason Kidd is asking Flagg to play point guard and run the offense, something he has never been tasked with doing. Kidd is one of the best point guards of all time, and understands that Flagg will never be a true floor general like Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo, or Tony Parker, but is instead hoping for him to follow in the footsteps of two other legends.
Flagg Compared to Giannis, Durant
Before he led the Dallas Mavericks, Jason Kidd was the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks.
When Kidd arrived in Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo was a skinny youngster averaging an inefficient 12.7 points to go with 6.7 rebounds and 2.6 dimes per game.
Kidd opted to put the ball in the Greek Freak's (although no one was calling him that, yet) hands, and by the time he was dismissed from that post, Giannis was averaging 26.9 points, ten rebounds, and 4.8 assists.
He would win back-to-back MVPs in the following seasons, cementing himself as an all-time great. Kidd wants Flagg to follow the same blueprint.
“People who are critical [of Flagg at PG] never played or never seen it," summed up Kidd to Marc J Spears. "I’ve seen it. Saw it in Milwaukee. Giannis is Giannis. People might have been critical there, too. If you’re challenging, or trying to change, or help someone become successful, there are going to be critics. You need critics because critics are not always right. That’s just the nature of the beast."
Kidd, a point guard by every definition of the word, found his greatest successes alongside Dirk Nowtiski, Shawn Marion, and Kenyon Martin, all players who fit in a clear-cut positional mold.
Well, Kidd is saying no more!
"There are no more positions," he added. "What’s your skill set? Can you handle it? If you can handle it, you can play. KD got the ball early in his career. Was P. J. Carlesimo criticized for it? Yeah? Maybe. You have to go back and look, but it worked out.”
Maybe it's wishful thinking, but Kidd and the Mavericks think Flagg can have the defensive impact of Giannis and the offensive versatility of Kevin Durant. The only way to find out? Put him in positions where he can do a bit of everything.