Mavericks legend issues blunt Cooper Flagg warning every Luka Doncic fan must hear

The Dallas Mavericks are just a little over a week away from drafting Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick and changing the course of franchise history after it seemed doomed. Flagg won't just come in on day one and become the franchise's savior, but he will instantly become the face of the Mavericks and possibly the league for many years to come.

While Flagg has the potential to be one of the NBA's best players with his two-way capabilities, many Mavericks fans are quick to relate how good he can become to Luka Doncic. Before trading Doncic away to the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas fans were convinced the Slovenian was a top-three talent in the NBA with his offensive wizardry and ability to make tough plays look easy.

There's no doubt Flagg will still be a great player, but he may not be the offensive talent Doncic was in his time with the Mavs. Despite saying that, Mavericks legend Rolando Blackman believes Flagg has the potential to make up for Doncic's offensive greatness in other ways with his Swiss Army knife-like basketball capabilities.

Flagg isn't the offensive talent that Doncic is, but he will make up for it

Like many fans, Blackman already realizes the potential greatness Flagg can have in Dallas, which explains his excitement after the Mavericks received the No. 1 overall pick on May 12 in Chicago. Blackman didn't just represent Dallas as he sat in the draft lottery room, but his excitement represented how every Maverick fan felt after finding out they would have the rights to draft Flagg.

While Blackman is a former player himself, his recent appearance on the DLLS Mavs Podcast delved into just how great Flagg can be as a member of the Mavs. Blackman mentioned how fans shouldn't expect the Duke superstar to be the offensive talent Doncic was, but says he will make up for Doncic's wizardry in other ways on the floor, such as defense and effort.

"Don't be expecting that other magician (referring to Doncic), don't be expecting that, that's not what this is," Blackman said. "There's always a change in the entity... but the dude can play (referring to Flagg)."

Blackman would go on to mention how Flagg can affect the game in other facets, such as his uncanny defensive abilities and effort that can flip the game at any moment. While Flagg may not be the "offensive savant" that Doncic was, his play will still change the direction of any game that he is playing in.

Doncic is still a great player, but his lack of defense was his one clear hole in his game and is arguably one of the leading reasons that he was traded away from the Mavericks in the first place. Flagg will have some growing pains as he gets used to the pace of the NBA, but there's no doubt he will instantly become a great defensive player.

One of Flagg's only major concerns entering his rookie season is how his 3-point shot will correlate to the professional level, but with Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis on the floor, it should only be a matter of time before Flagg is draining shots from all three levels on the floor.

Another thing that Blackman mentioned is how the Mavericks can now pair other players with better playmaking capabilities alongside Flagg. This is currently the biggest hole on the roster at the moment, but if the Mavericks are looking to trade back into the first round of the draft, the team may be able to find their ball handler of the future to grow alongside Flagg.