Mavericks have a 'match made in heaven' Cooper Flagg duo we've never seen

Dallas Mavericks fans still haven't gotten to see the duo of Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving take the floor together yet due to Irving missing all of last season with a torn ACL, but that's going to change at the start of next season. Irving is on pace to be fully recovered from his ACL tear by the start of training camp, and his partnership with Flagg is something that the Mavericks' new general manager, Mike Schmitz, called "a match made in heaven."

"Beautiful," Schmitz said this weekend at the Draft Lottery when asked about the Flagg-Irving duo. "You heard Masai in his opening presser, right, like that’s something you dream of. Having a magician with the ball like that who can pass, dribble, shoot, and someone with the connective qualities of Coop, that’s a match made in heaven."

The Mavericks are already sold on Irving and Flagg together

It's safe to say that Dallas is excited about the potential of Flagg and Irving on the court together, and they should be. They've waited a long time to see them play together after deciding not to bring Irving back last season, and the possibilities of what they can be together are endless.

Flagg just won an intense Rookie of the Year battle over Kon Knueppel, proving that he's no ordinary rookie. He averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game while shooting 46.8 percent from the field in 70 games, giving fans a preview of what's to come. The rookie star did all of this while being Dallas' No. 1 option, and sharing the court with Irving is going to work wonders for his game.

With Irving sidelined all of last season, the Mavericks struggled with shot creation, 3-point shooting, and overall offense. They missed him badly, and not having him on the floor caused Flagg to have to carry the offense. He was often the team's primary creator, meaning that he didn't get to feast off the ball.

Flagg is at his best when he's playing with another creator, as he can focus on cutting, moving without the ball, and getting into secondary actions. He can break his man down off the bounce and get to the rim or hit a contested mid-range jumper, but that's not his game yet. Being an offensive engine was never something that he was supposed to do as a rookie for the Mavs, but that was the role that was thrust upon him.

Irving coming back will change that, though.

Irving will make Flagg's life so much easier

He will be the team's primary ball handler, and Flagg will finally play with another player who commands the full attention of the defense. As Schmitz said, Irving is a magician with the basketball. He can score at all three levels, and his on-ball gravity is out of this world.

Defenses know that he can blow by his defender with one move or pull up from way beyond the arc, forcing everyone to always have an eye on him. This allows players like Flagg to slip for back-door cuts, but it also helps him draw an easier defensive assignment. He was getting the opponent's toughest defender every night, but that'll change with Irving in the lineup.

Flagg will get to function as a high-level connector while Irving can take the brunt of the playmaking burden, allowing him to spread his wings and showcase his full game. He's an incredible secondary playmaker on the wing due to his high IQ and strong passing, and Dallas' offense will look much more fluid than it did last year.

Cooper Flagg's rookie year was just the start. Just wait until he's playing with another star player like Kyrie Irving. The sky is the limit, and they're about to take the league by storm.

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