Stephen Curry and Luka Doncic have been two of the most dominant players of the last eight years, and Cooper Flagg should aim to be more like the Golden State Warriors' superstar.
Even with the rise of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the undisputed best backcourt player in the NBA, Luka Doncic and Stephen Curry have been dominant for far longer. In fact, there's a case to be made that Curry is the best point guard in the NBA.
As the Dallas Mavericks build around Cooper Flagg, it's clear that he is not a backcourt player. Still, Dallas wants the ball in his hands when it matters most. He can get to his spot, score with ease, create to a degree, and there is a strong reason to believe that the 3-point shot will start falling.
While Doncic is the best Maverick since Dirk Nowitzki, Flagg should model parts of his game after Curry instead.
Flagg's Playstyle is More Like Curry Than Doncic
On MavsRoundtable, saying anything negative about Doncic is often met with criticism. After all, he fully embraced Dallas before being traded in the dead of night. Still, even among Maverick loyalists, it should be safe to say that Curry has had a better career, so far.
His 3-point shooting changed the game, but it's not his shot that contributed to his dominance; it's his off-ball movement.
Doncic, James Harden, and Damian Lillard are just as talented ballhandlers and shooters, but they can't thrive next to another ball-dominant guard. Remember, Kyrie Irving took on a lesser role to make it work in Dallas.
Flagg, like Curry, works extremely hard even when he doesn't have the ball in his hands. According to NBA tracking data, Flagg runs 2.5 miles per game, the seventh-most in the NBA.
“Luka Doncic cannot play basketball without the ball," summed up Sam Mitchell. "He doesn’t cut, he doesn’t move, he doesn’t set screens. He’s great with the ball, but he does nothing to make his teammates better when he doesn’t have it…The reason we give Steph Curry so much credit is not because he’s a traditional great point guard. He averages about four and a half to five assists per game for his career. Steph Curry does the hard things. He’s always cutting and moving without the ball, which—when you’re a great player and you make a hard cut—somebody’s going to follow you.”
This season, Doncic moves more than Curry, although that has historically not been the case. Curry's off-ball movement helped propel the Warriors to four titles, whereas Doncic's conditioning has always been questioned.
Comparing Flagg, a forward, to two of the most generation-defining lead guards of the 21st century isn't the most flawless exercise, although Flagg has been urged to take a page from Curry's book.