Cooper Flagg's success hinges on Jason Kidd taking a huge risk

The Dallas Mavericks would be thrilled if Cooper Flagg turned into Giannis Antetokounmpo. Of course, the two players have some major differences in their game, so you can't really compare their games one-for-one. But Jason Kidd does sound ready to employ a similar strategy for Flagg that he did for Giannis in the late 2010s, when The Greek Freak was becoming the dominant force he still is: put the ball in his hands and let him make plays.

Kidd wasn't beloved as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, a position he held from 2014 to 2018. But he did help jumpstart Antetokounmpo's rise to mega-stardom and that's not a bad legacy to leave behind.

From Christian Clark of The Athletic: Early in Giannis Antetokounmpo’s career in Milwaukee, then-Bucks coach Jason Kidd gave the “Greek Freak” plenty of on-ball reps. Antetokounmpo said it helped spur his development.

“He trusted me,” Antetokounmpo said in 2018. “He put the ball in my hands. He pushed me to be great.”

Kidd seems ready to try something similar with Flagg, the rookie who won’t turn 19 until December."

Point Flagg is coming to Dallas soon. That is thrilling, because Flagg's passing might be his best skill — and that's saying something because he has like a dozen NBA-ready skills. He was No. 8 in the ACC in assists per game last year, and his 4.2 assists per game actually undersell just how good he is as a facilitator.

So, yes, Mavs fans should be thrilled he's going to be a big guard. The image of Flagg and Anthony Davis running a ginormous pick-and-roll with Klay Thompson waiting on the wing to catch-and-shoot if the defense collapses is one that will rightfully elicit excitement.

That doesn't mean it's not a risky proposition from Kidd and the Mavs to let Flagg run wild immediately.

Cooper Flagg being the Mavs point guard comes with risks

The hype around Cooper Flagg is warranted — he really is that good. He's also still 18 years old. And giving teenagers the keys to an NBA offense is typically a strategy reserved for teams more interested in draft lottery odds than wins.

But that's not the case in Dallas, as the Mavericks have every intention of making noise in the Western Conference. Thus, the already monstrous pressure on Cooper Flagg has increased even more. He won't have the luxury of camping out around the 3-point line and getting looks whenever the ball comes to him. He'll be expected to create those looks, for himself and for others.

Flagg has the skills to do that — it's part of why he was the consensus top pick — but applying those skills from day one is a different beast. Even top draft picks take some time to acclimate to the size, strength, and schemes of NBA defenses, and if Flagg looks a little overwhelmed right out of the gate, that's okay. He's going to shoulder a heavier burden out of the gate than most rookies ever do, top picks included.

Giannis said that Jason Kidd pushed him to be great in 2018. It worked! He'll have a chance to push another scarily talented prospect to greatness in 2025, and Mavs fans sure hope the outcome will be similar.