Cooper Flagg quietly squashes the Mavericks' worries with Kyrie out

Injured point guard? Just use the 6-foot-8 power forward you drafted No. 1 overall in his place. Seriously, Mavs, do that. Cooper Flagg needed just one preseason game to ease any worries Mavs fans had about the lack of ball-handling and passing chops on this Mavericks team. Flagg had 3 assists in just 14 minutes in his preseason debut, looked highly comfortable with the ball in his hands, and made decisions quickly. Exactly the kind of traits you want from... A point guard. Just saying!

Jason Kidd has been pretty clear that he wants the ball in Flagg's hands pretty often, and what we've seen from him thus far (and what we knew about him before the draft) should make Mavs fans feel pretty good about that strategy. Yes, Flagg running point forward is somewhat out of necessity, but it's mostly because he's probably already good enough to run it competently.

D'Angelo Russell, the presumed "real" point guard, remains a formidable option, but he probably isn't the guy you want quarterback-ing an offense every possession in 2025. Enter Flagg, who will be there to balance Russell's touches, or maybe even surpass them if things are going really well.

Cooper Flagg's passing might be his most overlooked skill

Fans understandably rave about Cooper Flagg's creation ability, his fluidity, his instincts on defense, and his ability to take defenders off the dribble. But his passing might be his most NBA-ready skill, and that's great news for the Mavericks, who lack plus-passers on the roster. Flagg averaged 4.2 assists per game in his one season at Duke — an impressive number, considering he was a freshman in the ACC.

Even in his rookie season, Flagg has the skills to be an elite connector on this Mavs team, and there's plenty of talent around him for him to connect. There was a play in his preseason debut where Flagg passed the ball around the perimeter to Russell, got the ball back, immediately drove, and perfectly dropped the ball off to Dereck Lively II for a reverse dunk.

It showcased three different skills that Flagg is already stunningly far along in; vision, driving ability, and decision-making. Not being scared of the moment or paralyzed by decisions is a hugely important trait for a young player, and Flagg has it. He makes up his mind in a hurry and that will take him far while allowing him to bypass the early-career struggles so many young ball-handlers have.

There are things that Kyrie Irving does that Cooper Flagg won't be able to do. To be fair, there are things that Kyrie Irving does that no one can do. But Cooper Flagg is instilling early confidence that he will be able to take over a lot of the ball-handling and facilitation that this team lost with Irving sidelined. And that's a pretty big deal.