After coaching Flagg through his rookie season, Kidd believes the Mavericks star has the talent, mentality and fearlessness to follow a similar path to LeBron James.
DALLAS - Jason Kidd watched Cooper Flagg go from a teenager who couldn't buy a bucket in his NBA debut to a player dropping 50 on an opponent within the same season.
The former Mavericks head coach had a closer view of that transformation than anyone outside the organization and he came away convinced he had seen something rare.
Speaking with Philippines magazine All Star, Kidd was asked which NBA greats Flagg might reach in his prime. His answer went straight to the top.
"I think he's on pace when you talk about LeBron and what he did as a young player," Kidd said. "And then also Cooper's ability. He's one that loves to win, wants to win, likes to work. He's not afraid of the moment. When you saw Duke taking a game-winning shot and missing, he's not afraid of the moment. So I would say he is on pace. I think that's his comp."
Coming from Kidd, the comparison carries weight beyond the usual offseason hyperbole. He also coached Luka Doncic in Dallas and has been around enough elite talent to know what separates very good players from historic ones. Notably, he framed the comparison around mentality just as much as ability. His fearlessness is the trait scouts often cite when projecting stardom.
What may end up mattering more, though, is how Kidd handled Flagg during his rookie season.
Kidd threw him into the fire immediately. There was no easing him in, no protecting him from tough assignments or heavy usage. Flagg started from day one, carried an enormous offensive load on a team missing Kyrie Irving all year and absorbed every difficult defensive matchup the schedule threw at him. He struggled early and there were nights when it showed. His debut against Victor Wembanyama and San Antonio produced 10 points and 10 rebounds in a 33-point blowout loss, with his first bucket not arriving until the second half.
Over his first 19 games, Flagg averaged 15.7 points. Over a later 23-game stretch, that number jumped to 23.7. By season's end, he had put together one of the best rookie campaigns in recent memory, leading Dallas in points, rebounds, assists and steals. He became the first rookie since Michael Jordan in 1984-85 to pace his team in all four categories. He also became the first teenager in league history to score 50 points in a game.
jNow he arrives at training camp with a full season of that education behind him, a healthy Irving to share the burden and a summer of skill work aimed at the exact areas that need refining. The circumstances that made his rookie year difficult are the same ones that should accelerate what comes next.
Kidd is no longer the one coaching him, with Dusty May taking over the bench this season. But his read on Flagg's ceiling comes from a full year of watching him up close and he did not hedge on where he thinks it sits.
