Mavericks' Rob Fodor hire could unlock Cooper Flagg’s 3-point shot

Cooper Flagg's rookie season was spectacular in nearly every metric, but one metric in which Flagg could serve to drastically improve is his shooting from outside, as he shot only 29.5 percent from outside on 3.5 attempts per game last season. However, Dallas' new addition of shooting coach Rob Fodor is poised to help Flagg in this department, as Fodor is a long-time shooting guru who has helped countless players improve their outside shot.

Fodor served as a shooting and player development coach on the Miami Heat for the last 10 seasons, and he was instrumental in Duncan Robinson's transformation into one of the best movement shooters in the league. Fodor has also posted clips on his YouTube channel breaking down the various aspects of the jump shot, as he's very meticulous with every detail that goes into a jumper.

Why Fodor can help take Flagg's jumper to new heights

Fodor knows shooting is far more nuanced than the average fan thinks when they see a player pull a quick jumper on television, and he's poised to bring this approach to Dallas' staff and players. Someone like Flagg can greatly benefit from this, as there's clearly room for him to improve as a shooter, especially in self-creation instances.

Flagg's shooting numbers will hopefully increase just from the standpoint that Kyrie Irving will be back in the lineup, and there will be a lot more spacing. He's bound to get far more open catch-and-shoot looks, but there will still inevitably be instances where he has to create his own shot from beyond the arc.

Flagg has a really high release point on his jumper, which is great from the standpoint of not getting blocked, but it's also a factor that can make him lose touch with his base sometimes, as it's not as easy to hit shots from outside when one is jumping very high on their shot and has any sort of side-to-side movement.

Flagg developing a 3-pointer would make him nearly unstoppable

Fodor can help improve Flagg's base and extend his range, and he'll be able to help with the mechanical aspects of his shot as well. Could this lead to Flagg being in the mid-thirties as a 3-point shooter, percentage-wise, next season?

It very possibly could, and that would open up other aspects of his game even more, but he's only 19 years old and shot below 30 percent from outside last year, so fans should look at even a marginal jump as a great sign that Fodor's teachings are working.

It's hard to imagine Flagg is going to evolve into an elite or even league-average 3-point shooter right away, but Fodor's formula certainly makes this a possibility. If Flagg were to get to that level, one would have to think All-Star and All-NBA honors would be in the cards for him, as his driving, playmaking, and mid-range scoring would only become more effective with the consistent threat of a reliable outside jumper.

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