Cooper Flagg has already exposed his hidden flaw that Mavericks need him to fix fast

The Dallas Mavericks are in the heat of the NBA's Summer League, and all eyes appear to be on Cooper Flagg and what he can bring to the Mavericks as he gears up for his professional debut. While it didn't take long, in just two games, Flagg has already outplayed his Summer League competition, and after dropping 31 points on Dylan Harper and the San Antonio Spurs, his Summer League showcase has come to a close.

Flagg didn't just wow fans in his route to his dominant performance against the Spurs, but he displayed many attributes of what he will bring on both sides of the floor for the Mavericks. One aspect of Flagg's game that was closely monitored this past weekend was his ability to handle pressure when handling the ball and his role in playmaking, particularly in running the offense.

By no means did Flagg disappoint as he proved he could score on some of the Summer League's best defenders, but in just two games, it was clear to see one of Flagg's biggest holes in his game as he gears up for an increased ball-handling load during the regular season.

Cooper Flagg's handle has to get tighter before it's too late for Mavericks

Heading into the offseason, the Mavericks knew they would need to load up on guards, considering they had just traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers and Kyrie Irving would miss much of the following season with a torn ACL. With that idea in mind, Nico Harrison signed D'Angelo Russell to a two-year deal, but failed to trade for any other guard assets despite Dallas' gaping hole at the playmaking spot.

Even after signing Russell, the Mavericks understood that they still needed to address the lack of playmaking; however, rather than trading or signing for another guard, the Mavericks plan to give Flagg much of the ball-handling load within the starting unit. For an 18-year-old on a team wishing to compete for a championship, this is a very large ask, but the team must give Flagg all the tools he can have, and it starts with working on his ball handling.

Throughout his two Summer League games, it became increasingly clear that Flagg's handle must improve rapidly this summer before the Mavericks can give him a full-time workload. Constantly, the former Duke star was getting his dribbling pocket poked at, which would force him to either pass the ball or change his dribbling path and shield off the defender.

While Flagg's handle did look much improved from his days in college, NBA defenses are going to target Flagg before he even has the opportunity to get the ball out of his hands. With Mavericks' new player development coach, Phil Handy, it's only a matter of time before Flagg's handle and dribble package increases and becomes a reliable weapon in his offensive bag.

There's no doubt Flagg will have growing pains in his first few months as a pro, but as long as he continues to get better every game, it will only be a matter of time before Flagg is a superstar. While he may not be asked to carry a bulk of the offensive playmaking load when Irving does return from injury, this will be a critical period in Flagg's development, and could be a time that has plenty of lows as well as highs throughout the season.