Under-the-radar Cooper Flagg change could make the Mavericks unstoppable

To no one's surprise, the Dallas Mavericks are expected to give Cooper Flagg a full workload with the ball in his hands without Kyrie Irving on the floor for much of the season. While handing Flagg the ball and allowing him to work on his offensive game without any penalties could turn out to be one of the best things for his career, Jason Kidd must also allow Flagg to work in an offensive rhythm away from the ball, as he will be playing third fiddle alongside Anthony Davis and Irving when he does eventually return to the lineup.

Throughout Flagg's collegiate career at Duke, he got plenty of reps with the ball in his hands, and it was arguably one of the reasons the Blue Devils made it all the way to the Final Four. As a professional, Flagg will be expected to do much of the same, especially considering the Mavericks have a lack of ball handlers on their roster, but he must also develop skills away from the ball that could impact his career even further.

With Davis and Irving presumably both in the lineup later in the season, Flagg will ultimately be the third star in that rotation, which means he won't have as many reps handling the ball. While the Mavericks want to throw Flagg into the fire and watch him develop right away, the reality of Dallas' situation is that they are still trying to win games, so it may be in Jason Kidd's best interest to get Flagg working without the ball at times throughout games.

Mavs have opportunity to develop Flagg into offensive Swiss Army Knife

As a member of the Blue Devils, Flagg got plenty of usage being one of their lone ball handlers on the roster. In fact, at a 30.7 usage percentage, Flagg led all players who played more than 30 games for the Blue Devils last season by more than seven percentage points.

Flagg wasn't just a demon with the ball in his hands when at Duke, but for much of the regular season, Flagg will again be expected to playmake. Even with players like Brandon Williams and D'Angelo Russell on the Mavericks roster, there could be some expectation for Flagg to take an even larger role with the ball in his hands than those two.

While that might be the best thing for Flagg and his development as a professional, the Mavericks must also make sure that the former Blue Devil is getting plenty of reps away from the ball. Materializing a game away from the ball that will allow Flagg to work on his cut and screen game may also be necessary for working on an all-around offensive game.

Flagg arguably has one of the highest basketball IQs on the Mavericks, even as a rookie, so it may not even take a long time for him to look like a pro without the ball in his hands. Not only will this help Flagg in the long run, but considering Irving and Davis are going to be bigger focal points for the Mavericks' offense, it may be necessary for Flagg to work on his game away from the ball.

In Summer League, Flagg flashed some of his best skill sets without the ball in his hands, and that was the ability to screen and lob for other players away from the ball. Flagg has already shown he can be a timely cutter, and allowing him to work on that skill early may be necessary for Dallas' long-term success.

This could also allow Flagg to develop a catch-and-shoot game, which may be one of the best skills anyone could learn in their rookie season. All signs are pointing to the Mavericks adding yet another high usage rate season to Flagg's young career, and if Dallas wants to get the most out of Flagg's rookie season, it may be mandatory.