Dusty May envisions a triple-double threat capable of Jordan-like versatility, challenging Dallas to transform their record-breaking young star into the NBA’s most unstoppable, positionless offensive weapon.
DALLAS - How high is high?
New Dallas Mavs coach Dusty May is predicting that we're going to find out this season, with second-year star Cooper Flagg in charge of the definition.
It is the view of the coach that Flagg, 19, is capable of putting up boxscores in games with 10 or 15 assists and 10 or 15 rebounds ...
And more, that Dallas as a team should be tasked with the responsibility to get him to those heights.
Flagg won Rookie of the Year on April 27, averaging 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.2 steals in 70 games. He and Michael Jordan are the only rookies since 1973-74 to lead their teams in total points, rebounds, assists, and steals.
That's not saying that Flagg - who turns 20 in December - is Jordanesque.
But ...
May said Flagg's drive and his positional versatility - which were a part of the iconic Jordan's game - are what set the ceiling.
“With Coop, it’s just continuing to add to his game,” May said in a visit with 105.3 The Fan. “There’s a real responsibility to make sure he becomes the absolute best he can be. And when you have the drive, the competitive spirit, and then the versatility as a player that he has, the sky’s the limit.”
May is also impressed that Flagg has demonstrated even at his young age that he's ready for all of this.
“To be 19 years old and to have all of this thrown at him like he has, it’s a real testament to his maturity and the people that surround him to keep him grounded, because he’s a normal guy,” May continued. “But at every level of basketball he’s impacted winning at the highest level, and so that’s what we expect him to do here, whatever the game requires.”
Flagg can certainly put up numbers. Last April, he scored 51 points in a loss to the Orlando Magic at American Airlines Center, becoming the youngest player in NBA history with a 50-point game.
He had four 40-point games last season, the most by a rookie since Allen Iverson in 1996-97.
Having said all of that, Dallas went 26-56 last season. So the franchise is rebooting, having hired May away from the University of Michigan while now gearing up for the regular season, which opens Oct. 21 at Houston at 7:30 p.m. CT. ...
And which will very much be about Flagg.
“I think he’s so unique,” May added. “He could get 10 assists, 15 assists. He could get 10 or 15 rebounds, and then obviously we all know he can score the ball in a number of ways. So it’s going to be fun to be a part of his journey.”
