Kidd doubles down on risky Mavericks strategy that will make or break next season

With less than a week to go before the NBA Draft tips off, the Dallas Mavericks are primed to select presumptive number one overall pick Cooper Flagg after winning the rights to the first overall selection in the May 12 NBA Draft Lottery. Selecting Flagg is a no-brainer move for the Mavericks, especially considering Flagg only worked out with the Mavericks just a few days ago in a private visit.

Flagg isn't just gonna be an immediate breath of fresh air for a fanbase looking for their savior, but on day one, Flagg's defense is gonna rival some of the league's best wing defenders. In addition to Flagg adding defensive depth, all signs are pointing towards head coach Jason Kidd sticking with the Mavericks for the long run, which may be the perfect coach to help lead the young superstar.

While the Mavericks' decision to keep Kidd is huge for the franchise's vision for the foreseeable future, Kidd must realize that adding Flagg to the starting lineup could create an issue with his double-big lineup philosophy.

Jason Kidd's double-big philosophy will make or break next year

There's no doubt that Kidd has become one of the brightest minds in the league, which is why every summer, teams are calling his line asking him to become their next head coach. Without Kidd leading the way, last season would have been an ultimate lost cause due to injuries and the Luka Doncic trade that tore the Mavericks' identity from their heart; however, Dallas battled throughout the season and just missed out on a playoff berth.

While Kidd has become Dallas' lifeline over the past few years, his philosophy of the double-big starting lineup since trading for Anthony Davis could create bigger problems for the Mavericks, despite the team barely rolling out two centers at a time last season due to injury.

In a recent interview with '105.3 The Fan', Kidd was asked if he still plans on rolling out the two-big lineup next season with the addition of Flagg.

"We believe with the Mavs... we're big. We can put out a big lineup... AD is 6'10, 7-feet, I think," Kidd said. "I think that ability to athletically have bigs that can guard smalls, when you look at certain teams in this league, like Cleveland. They're big, but they're athletic. So you can start to see teams are playing with two bigs, it gives you an advantage on both ends."

While for long periods of time last season, the Mavericks couldn't roll out their two-center lineup due to a number of injuries, it's already safe to assume that lineup could have offensive troubles that will cause Kidd to put his master plan on the back burner. With Flagg joining the starting lineup, that would ultimately mean there will be three players over 6'9, which is cause for major shooting concerns.

By no means is Flagg a poor shooter from the perimeter, but asking your first overall pick and generational talent to stand in a corner and wait for the ball to come to him is unethical. In addition to shooting concerns, the double big lineup will create a massive logjam inside with the limited spacing two bigs, such as Davis and Dereck Lively II, or Daniel Gafford, would create.

Pairing Flagg, Davis, and Gafford together would create a massive defensive lineup where virtually no team could get any shots from inside the paint, but there is room for concern around the perimeter, which is a problem that plagued the Mavs throughout the back half of last season. With Flagg joining the starting lineup, he will become an instant positive around the perimeter, but his presence alone would likely not be enough to create a lockdown defensive unit.

The Mavericks and Kidd must find a solution before it's too late, and that may mean trading Gafford in an attempt to acquire younger talent, but with Kidd seemingly against the idea of not rolling out two bigs, it's unlikely the Mavericks will trade anyone.