Cooper Flagg's next offensive leap may be hiding in plain sight

Cooper Flagg had perhaps one of the better rookie seasons in recent memory, averaging 21.0 points per game and ending his inaugural campaign with back-to-back 45- and 51-point outbursts for the Dallas Mavericks. Yet, while the scoring was plentiful for Flagg in year one, there are various avenues in which he can improve his offensive game, and one is hiding in plain sight. It's about getting better in the pick-and-roll.

Interestingly enough, Flagg ran the 13th-most pick-and-rolls in the NBA last season. He trailed only Deni Avdija and Jaylen Brown in pick-and-roll ball-handling possessions among forwards. The rookie even ran more pick-and-roll possessions than primary ball-handlers such as De'Aaron Fox and Keyonte George, as well as All-Stars such as Anthony Edwards and Kawhi Leonard.

Cooper Flagg's pick-and-roll numbers reveal an obvious weakness

Yet, even though he ran so many pick-and-rolls, that doesn't necessarily mean he was efficient at doing so. Flagg averaged just 0.82 points per pick-and-roll possession (fewest among the top 13) and shot merely 37.8 percent on such possessions, which, as you can guess, also ranks last among the top 13.

Among the top 50 most-utilized players as pick-and-roll ball-handlers, Flagg ranked 44th in points per possession and 47th in field goal percentage. Thus, even expanding the sample size shows just how inefficient Flagg was as a pick-and-roll ball-handler.

Nonetheless, there's a silver lining here. Flagg wasn't an underwhelming pick-and-roll handler for a five-year veteran — he was a rookie who had only turned 19 in December. Moreover, he had never shouldered as much ball-handling responsibility in his life before doing so at the highest level. Dallas thrust the 6-foot-9 forward into unfamiliar territory practically as soon as he hit the hardwood.

But as Mavericks fans have quickly learned while watching Flagg, he always finds ways to improve. He improved tremendously from just October to December alone and refined various nuances of his game over the course of his rookie season, from rebounding to true shooting percentage.

Improving in the pick-and-roll is next up for Flagg. He ran so many pick-and-roll possessions that it's impossible to ignore.

Flagg has two clear areas to improve

But just how can Flagg improve his pick-and-roll prowess, you might ask? Well, multiple improvements must be made, but becoming a more threatening perimeter shooter and improving his patience and decisiveness are the biggest two.

Flagg notably shot 29.5 percent from beyond the arc a season ago, and only slightly better on pull-up triples, at 30.7 percent. However, despite a high propensity for mid-range shots, Flagg also didn't shoot it well from the mid-range, converting 38.0 percent of such attempts.

Forcing a defender to fight over the screen, or forcing a rigorous hedge from the screener's defender, are two surefire ways to open up more scoring and assist opportunities. When defenses aren't as worried about the ball-handler's shooting prowess, it makes defending the pick-and-roll much easier

Looking through an optimistic lens, Flagg turned the ball over the seventh-fewest amount of times among the top 50 most-utilized pick-and-roll ball-handlers, at only 10.5 percent. He took good care of the ball. But on the flip side, that's a testament to Flagg, at times, being too careful, or almost bailing before the pick-and-roll action occurs, often throwing a pass to a fellow guard or retreat dribbling before making two defenders play.

Improving decisiveness and pace will be huge for Flagg moving forward. The league's best pick-and-roll ball-handlers, while not as athletic as Flagg, play at an extremely controlled pace, like Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Flagg's athletic gifts allow him to play less controlled, but finding the right dribble and movement patterns in the pick-and-roll will allow for better reads and scoring opportunities in the future.

Flagg already showed flashes of being an elite offensive player during his rookie season, but there's still plenty of room for growth. Improving his pick-and-roll game is the next major step in that development. With a more threatening jumper and greater decisiveness, Flagg could become much more difficult to defend in an action he already ran more than almost anyone else in the league. The next offensive leap for the reigning Rookie of the Year has been hiding in plain sight all along.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow