Dirk Nowitzki just gave Cooper Flagg the blueprint to become a Mavericks legend

A rather festive event happened recently compared to the typical hard news the Dallas Mavericks have faced over the last year or so, as Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki hosted his annual Dirk Nowitzki Foundation Tennis Classic, as former teammates, friends, and celebrities gathered last Saturday to celebrate and raise money for charity.

Surprisingly, the newest Maverick in 18-year-old Cooper Flagg attended the event shortly after having his wisdom teeth removed back home in Maine, and it was clear Nowitzki will be giving Flagg all the mentorship he needs after the two met up for the first time at the event.

Per Flagg's trainer, Matt MacKenzie, Flagg and Nowitzki had a nice conversation regarding Nowitzki being able to help Flagg navigate the limelight and the city of Dallas for the first time, as well as Nowitzki vowing that Flagg could always come to him for any help he needs on the court.

Nowitzki vowed to give Flagg mentorship both on and off the court

Nowitzki is essentially a steward of Dallas at this point despite not growing up even close to DFW, and for him to give Flagg this tutelage and hotline right off the bat is something Mavericks fans could only dream of, but it's certainly not surprising given how genuine and kind a person Nowitzki is. While MacKenzie wasn't in attendance for the event and didn't seem to be able to gather all the details of their conversation, he offered multiple ways in which Nowitzki could help Flagg beyond just off the court.

"I think any time you have the opportunity to pick the brain of a legend like Dirk, it’s going to be valuable," MacKenzie said. "Even if you can just pick a couple of small nuances or details from somebody like that, whether it’s regard to his footwork, his angles or how he uses his body to create separation, there’s always little things Cooper can learn from somebody like that."

There's few humans that have ever graced the planet Earth who have the consistency with their balance and footwork that Nowitzki had in the midrange and post, and while Flagg certainly has an entirely different play-style compared to Nowitzki, he can definitely pull from Nowitzki's mid-range, post, and 3-point shot creation ability.

Flagg certainly isn't one-dimensional as a player, but he's far less polished offensively compared to the defensive side of the ball. However, having one of the greatest scorers at the four spot ever as a direct resource anytime Flagg seeks Nowitzki should prove to be invaluable for Flagg in the long run.

Of course, Nowitzki isn't on Dallas' coaching staff and will be partially busy in his new role for Amazon Prime's NBA telecast, but he's still based in Dallas and would clearly be more than willing to work with Flagg when he's able to. After Mavericks fans thought Nowitzki was on the fringes with the franchise following the Luka Doncic trade, it's great to see Nowitzki come forward to Flagg and give himself up as a helpful resource before Flagg has even put on a Mavericks jersey.

Flagg is already an extremely hard worker, arguably more so than any other top prospect that has come out of the draft in recent seasons, but he could still learn tidbits over work ethic and how to be a consummate professional from Nowitzki over the course of this new mentorship, as Nowitzki was unwavering with those attributes through 21 grueling seasons in the league.