Mavericks will grant Anthony Davis his wish if new Cooper Flagg rumors are true

Dallas Mavericks superstar Anthony Davis has made preference for playing power forward well known throughout his career.

Davis believes playing as the four rather than the five allows him greater offensive flexibility while simultaneously reducing wear on the injury-prone big man from avoiding the nonstop contact down low while playing center. Critics would argue that Davis's versatility is best used at the center position, granting his team greater lineup versatility on both ends of the floor.

The Mavs seemed to have a difficult decision to make after winning the lottery and the chance to take Cooper Flagg. Flagg is a natural fit at the power forward, yet his talent warrants starter minutes on opening tip. How Jason Kidd plans to play Flagg and Davis alongside one another while keeping everyone happy is a mystery.

But rumblings from Flagg's camp indicate that the Mavericks may be able to avoid this issue. Flagg reportedly is excited to join a team with a hole at the three, indicating he sees himself as a viable small forward. While his true role will probably be found at the four, his openness to playing the small forward position is great news to Davis and the Mavericks.

Flagg playing small forward prevents a massive Mavericks headache

Davis's teams have played better when he plays center, particularly on offense. When he plays center, teams are forced to only play centers who can competently defend on the perimeter. This causes major problems for teams with slow-footed big men who specialize in help-side defense.

Davis's perimeter scoring and shooting ability also enable his teams to have greater lineup optionality. Players with questionable beyond-the-arc shooting, such as Naji Marshall, can be the only non-shooter on the floor when Davis plays the five. When Davis plays the four, however, a second non-shooter is introduced to the lineup with Daniel Gafford or Dereck Lively II playing next to him, making it difficult to play weak shooters against elite competition.

Furthermore, Davis's strengths are much more pronounced as a center. Almost no center can guard Davis one-on-one. Pair that with Davis's one-of-a-kind help-side defense and pick and roll finishing, and you have a player who finished 5th in MVP voting and earned Finals MVP votes.

In the later rounds of the 2020 NBA Playoffs, Lakers centers JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard saw a drastic reduction in playing time during the playoffs. Lakers coach Frank Vogel recognized that, against elite competition, Davis needed to play center to maximize his impact.

Despite this, Vogel knew to play Davis at the four whenever possible. In the regular season, the risk of injury or dissatisfaction to Davis was too great to risk for a team almost guaranteed to make the postseason, so Davis played the majority of his minutes as a power forward.

Flagg has an NBA-ready skillset unique to one-and-done prospects with all-time great potential. He is an elite defender both on and off the ball, has incredible cutting instincts, is a willing and able passer, and can score both as the primary option and as a supporting player.

Players with Flagg's talent and all-around skillset are incredibly rare and enable teams to play non-traditional lineups. Because he is an elite catch-and-shoot threat, shooting 38 percent on such shots at Duke, and has a mature cutting and finishing game similar to Aaron Gordon's, he will be able to excel offensively in lineups with Davis at the four and Daniel Gafford or Derek Lively II at the five.

Kidd should look to replicate Vogel's approach to balancing Davis's playstyle and the team's needs. Playing jumbo lineups with Flagg, Davis, and a traditional center would make everyone happy. Flagg sees himself as a small forward, Davis prefers playing power forward, and now the Mavs don't need to trade one of their frontcourt options.