Cooper Flagg's hidden weapon will help unlock Mavericks' unstoppable future

September is finally here. This means Dallas Mavericks basketball is almost upon us, as fans can observe Cooper Flagg and his upcoming role on the team. He is expected to play a major role in his first season. Noah Webber of the Smoking Cuban predicted that Flagg will be in the Mavs' starting lineup this season, alongside Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Dereck Lively II, and D'Angelo Russell.

If the statement above is true, this is good news for Flagg. This means Jason Kidd trusts the 18-year-old rookie, further developing the relationship between the two. If you recall, Kidd has a high IQ and has a history of developing players like Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo. So, nothing says he won't do the same for Flagg.

Flagg has the skillset to become one of the future stars in the league, as he is a developing scorer who can play two-way basketball. So, mix that with Kidd's history, and the sky is the limit for the young forward. However, there is one skill that Kidd excelled in that could take Flagg's game to the next level, and that is his passing game.

Cooper Flagg's passing game will unlock Mavericks' offense

Last season, Flagg dominated college basketball. He averaged 19.2 points per game and shot 38.5 percent from the 3-point line. He was an offensive scoring machine who could score from all angles. In his final collegiate game, Flagg scored 27 points and knocked down 75 percent of his long-range attempts.

Flagg showed flashes of his offensive game during the Summer League, where he averaged 20.5 points, five rebounds, and 2.5 assists. In Game 1, he scored 10 points but had four assists. One of his passes not shown on the stat sheet was a dime to center Moussa Cisse. While Cisse missed the dunk attempt, it shows Flagg can make his teammates better, and it's not hard to imagine him throwing those kinds of passes to Lively II.

In college, Flagg was an underrated passer who helped space out the floor for his teammates. He improved his passing game during the latter half of the season and did exceptionally well at throwing lob passes.

During Duke's March Madness run, Flagg averaged five assists per game. This was a .8 improvement from his season average. He showed flashes of his passing game during the team's opening round.

For example, the highlights below are a prime example of Flagg's underrated passing game. Just watch the first 12 seconds of the video, and Flagg can make the right lob passes to set up his teammates.

This isn't the only instance. Watch the video from 2:11-2:15, and Flagg again makes another lob pass to set up his teammate for a perfect dunk. On the following highlight, he finds an open teammate on the wing for an open 3-point shot.

So, it's obvious Flagg knows how to make the right passes to his teammates and can run the offense when called upon. This is great news for Mavs fans, as Flagg ran the point forward position during the Summer League. If he can get more familiar with the Mavs' offense and improve his passing game, then the sky is the limit for Dallas' offense.

If Flagg can continue dominating defenders with his passing game, then this makes things easier for players like Lively or Davis, as he can set easy lobs for them. As for scorers like Thompson, Flagg's ability to read the floor in transition makes their game easier, making them catch-and-shoot players.

Now, all that's left is for training camp to start so Flagg can develop those relationships with his teammates on the court. Assuming Flagg continues to improve his passing game, then Dallas could easily become one of the top offensive teams in the league. So, buckle up, Mavs fans, Kidd's high IQ could help unleash Flagg's passing game into new heights.