Mavericks are already robbing Cooper Flagg of the rookie season he deserves

Rather than allowing Cooper Flagg to figure out how his game fits the NBA and playing him to his strengths, the Dallas Mavericks are trying to morph him into a point guard, and it's costing them.

Badly.

Dallas is clearly a better team when a true point guard, such as D'Angelo Russell, is running the show and setting up open looks for teammates, and the offense doesn't have the same hum when Flagg is on the floor without a point guard. This isn't to say that Flagg is doing point guard things every single time down the floor, as they are barely running any pick and rolls, and the offense isn't really being run through him, but they are trying to get a square peg fit through a circular hole.

Dallas is making Cooper Flagg's rookie year harder than it needs to be

Flagg is only 18 years old, and he'd likely be best utilized off the ball while allowing the veterans on the roster to complement his game. Struggles are normal for teenagers in the NBA, especially for someone who is the youngest player in the NBA, like Flagg, and the plan that he is being utilized in by Jason Kidd may have come to fruition a little bit prematurely.

Fans are quick to point out that Kidd was a key figure in helping Giannis Antetokounmpo become more skilled with the ball in his hands by forcing him to play some point forward, but this didn't come in his rookie season. Antetokounmpo had already played two seasons in the NBA before Kidd made him a lead ball handler in Milwaukee, and it's undeniable that this helped him become the player that he is today.

But Flagg isn't the same player as Antetokounmpo, and the offensive systems are completely different. Flagg is drawing extremely tough defensive assignments every single night due to the Mavericks' insistence on making him play point guard, and this is only making things harder on him as he tries to get a rhythm.

Flagg has been guarded by players like Stephon Castle, Ausar Thompson, Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, and Amen Thompson over his first seven games in the NBA, and this isn't a cakewalk of a start by any means. He is being forced to go against some of the best point-of-attack defenders in the NBA since the Mavs use him at point guard, and playing him alongside a different guard, such as Brandon Williams or Russell, would definitely help him.

Williams or Russell may not have the on-ball pop to pull these dominant defenders away from guarding Flagg, but they could at least create advantages with the ball in their hands and give the offense some flow. Both Williams and Russell can be trusted to make the right reads, and Flagg's off-ball cutting is one area that would benefit from Kidd using a point guard with him more often.

Kyrie Irving's return is also set to help Flagg in a major way, but that could be months away. Kidd seemed optimistic about Irving's return timeline in a recent update, but no one truly knows how soon that he will be making his season debut.

With the Mavericks' struggles beginning to mount over the first few weeks of the season, all eyes have been on Flagg and wondering why his performances have been so sporadic, but he isn't even in the best spot to succeed to begin with. The "point Flagg" plan was never something that they should've immediately relied on, especially if they want to win right now, and it's not necessarily paying dividends for his development either.

Flagg is having to carry the burden of playing point guard despite being the youngest player on the team by over 1,000 days, and the personnel around him, combined with the way that the Mavericks are using him, are not setting him up for immediate success. This could work out in the long run, but for now, Flagg's rookie year is not going anywhere close to how it's supposed to be.

Flagg is bound to take the NBA by storm and become a star one day, but the Mavericks aren't making it any easier on him.