Cooper Flagg gets brutally honest about unforgiving role Mavericks forced on him

In a sit-down interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg discussed his transition to the NBA and addressed one of the season’s more criticized decisions —when Jason Kidd deployed him at point guard. Flagg explained that his greatest learning curve stemmed directly from that experience, rather than from adjusting to the league’s pace or physicality.

Of course, Flagg is a phenomenal athlete, so there wasn’t much concern that his athleticism would translate. Still, it remains an obstacle even the most gifted college players face, especially those who enter the NBA as teenagers.

The Mavericks threw Cooper Flagg into the fire immediately

But being thrust into the floor general role for Dallas forced Flagg to rethink his game and gain a new appreciation for his fellow point guards. Despite his infectious energy, Flagg admitted those first few games as the Mavericks' primary ball handler were “the most tired I’ve ever been on a basketball court.”

Again, it wasn’t matchups against Victor Wembanyama in the season opener or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder days later that gave Cooper Flagg pause for reflection. It was his newly added responsibility that Kidd threw his way.

Flagg told Andrews in the interview, “I had never been in a situation like that. To be handling the ball, bringing it up every single time…” Whew. Taking on point guard duties for the first time at the highest level is as intriguing as it is demanding.

And as expected, the Mavs’ 2025–26 campaign didn’t get off to the best start with Flagg at the point. The Mavericks won just two of their first seven games before moving away from the experiment. While the rookie wasn’t necessarily struggling, averaging 13.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game during that stretch, he wasn’t exactly put in the best position to succeed.

It took time for Cooper Flagg to find his rhythm

Over his next seven games for Dallas, Flagg’s averages jumped to 17.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, along with a notable increase in field-goal percentage. The improvement followed Kidd’s decision to deploy both D'Angelo Russell and Brandon Williams as starting point guards.

Fast forward to the present, and Flagg is averaging 20.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game, all while shooting 47.1 percent from the field. As he did at Duke, where he began his collegiate career as a 17-year-old, it took Flagg some time to adjust to the NBA in his first season for the Mavericks.

Yet this time, the adjustment was partly about figuring out a new role, one Flagg had never played before. The then-18-year-old wasn’t just stepping into the world’s highest level of basketball; he was forced to adapt immediately as soon as he hit the hardwood.