Cooper Flagg is already giving Mavericks what Nico Harrison craves most

On February 1, exactly three and a half months ago, the Dallas Mavericks made the most shocking move in NBA history that no one was expecting.

Dallas traded Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a first-round pick. This move sent shockwaves through the entire NBA world, especially the DFW metroplex, as fans were heartbroken that Doncic was traded to the Lakers less than a year after he led Dallas to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011.

Months after the move, it remains clear that Nico Harrison is the one who orchestrated this trade. Harrison worked in the shadows, not involving anyone else within the organization in the process, other than Patrick Dumont, to approve the trade. While the reasoning behind the trade may not make sense to fans, Harrison's stance was made clear when it came to his thoughts on Doncic and his future in Dallas.

While Harrison has said this trade was about acquiring Anthony Davis rather than trading away Doncic, his concerns about Doncic are no secret. Harrison had concerns about Doncic's conditioning, defense, effect on culture, and injuries.

Cooper Flagg is built to fulfill Nico Harrison's vision

Even though these reasons don't justify Harrison's decision to trade Doncic, some of the concerns are valid. Harrison had a certain vision for what he wanted Mavericks basketball to look like, and while he no longer thought Doncic fit that vision, Cooper Flagg is displaying traits that will thrill Harrison, and he is still over a month away from officially becoming a Maverick.

On Monday night, the Mavs won the NBA Draft Lottery and ultimately the right to draft Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick, and everything coming out of the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago is revealing why Flagg is going to be loved by Harrison.

According to ESPN's Jonathan Givony, who was on the floor during the draft combine, Flag looked like a future "franchise player" and Givony was "blown away by the energy, charisma and spirit Flagg brought to everything he did. He dominates every drill with his voice, cheering on teammates, lifting up the energy in the building and pushing players to be the best version of themselves, especially himself."

Flagg joining the Mavericks is about much more than just his play on the floor.

He is always the hardest worker in the room, full of energy, communicating, and encouraging his teammates, and these are the types of players and people that Harrison is looking for when building the Mavericks' roster.

"He was really eager to learn and ask questions," an anonymous former coach of Flagg from a camp told The Smoking Cuban.

Flagg has always been focused on being the best, and he isn't satisfied with second place. This has followed him for his entire basketball career, and the Mavericks' concerns about Doncic's work ethic, fair or not, likely won't follow Flagg if he keeps the same habits that he has used for most of his life.

"He's probably one of the hardest playing big guys, hardest playing big-time players I've seen in a long time," an anonymous ACC coach told The Smoking Cuban. "He literally leaves it all out there every time he steps on the floor."

During Flagg's recruiting process, he appreciated how Duke head coach Jon Scheyer would critique some of the games he watched rather than just praising him, and that is a perfect trait of a young student of the game. Flagg is always trying to get better, and his personality shines through every time you watch him play.

While Flagg's exciting dunks, big-time shot making, and excellent playmaking as a four are all things that make him stick out as a prospect, his defense is what really stands out and makes him one of one.

Another thing that Harrison is going to love about him.

Harrison's motto of "defense wins championships" embodies Flagg, and he will be a big-time help-side defender on day one in the NBA.

"His athleticism, willingness, and timing make him a good defender," an anonymous coach who coached against Flagg last season at Duke told The Smoking Cuban. "He can clean up mistakes quickly because of those above things."

As a power forward, Flagg is incredible at sliding over to block shots, but his perimeter defense can't be undermined either. Flagg moves his feet well and has the ability to guard down when needed, and his tenacity and energy on that end of the floor make him a monster.

In his one season at Duke, Flagg averaged 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game, showing just how elite he can be. He wants to shut down anyone who is matched up in front of him, and he takes pride in it.

"He was terrifying defensively as well, both as a weak-side rim protector and on the perimeter jumping passing lanes," an anonymous coach who coached against Flagg last season told The Smoking Cuban. "Because they have (Khaman) Maluach back there, and their other four guys pressure the ball at a high level. His length and activity on the ball are scary."

Flagg's "terrifying" defense has no bounds, as he is one of the best defensive prospects this league has seen in some time. He will immediately be someone who will be up for the challenge of defending elite wings, and a former Maverick echoed these sentiments about Flagg's defense from various coaches.

"He'll be able to switch and contain in P/Rs, he will be a shot challenger/blocker," a former Maverick told The Smoking Cuban. "There will be times he appears beaten but can stay in the play and challenge at the rim. He moves well enough to make driving lanes tighter as a help defender. HIGH MOTOR. He will have to be smart so as not to foul with that aggressive defensive mindset. The NBA is a whole new level of speed."

Along with his strong individual defense, multiple sources who coached against Flagg discussed how well the dynamic between Flagg and Maluach worked out as Duke's four and five. With Maluach being such an elite rim protector, this allowed Flagg and his teammates to guard much tighter on the perimeter, and a similar dynamic will continue into his days in Dallas.

Flagg will have either Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II, or even both of them as his help defenders next season, and teams are going to have a genuine sense of fear when they see the frontcourt Dallas that trots out.

The Mavericks are going to have incredible size and versatility to utilize every single game on the defensive end of the floor, and with Davis and Flagg as Dallas's two lead defensive stoppers, Nico Harrison's vision is going to come together in front of his eyes. Culture and defense are what Harrison values most, and Flagg is in that same boat.

"There's people that fit the culture and there's people that come in and add to the culture," Harrison said on February 2, the morning after he traded Doncic to the Lakers. "And those are two distinct things."