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Duke legend Cooper Flagg proved to Mavericks' Jason Kidd he's ready for 'uncomfortable' role | Sporting News

Updated July 11, 2025, 12:52 p.m. by Hunter Cookston 1 min read
NBA News

The Cooper Flagg hype has been building for quite some time, and it only intensified when he was selected first overall in June.

Now, hes in the NBA Summer League, looking to showcase his talent early on.

Flagg is a strong two-way player some even describe him as generational.

Flagg is considered a potentially generational type of two-way prospect.

He's been ticketed as a future No.

1 pick for several years due to the seeming likelihood that he becomes an elite player on both sides of the ball, CBS Sports Jared Dubin wrote.

However, the concern ESPNs Tim Legler a former Dallas Maverick expressed before the draft surfaced during Flaggs Summer League debut on Thursday.

Alongside Anthony Davis and a rim-running center, you would love to have a three that can be comfortable out to 24 feet or catch and shoots and also get his own out to 24 feet off the dribble," Legler said in reference to Flagg's fit within the starting unit.

"Right now, he's got, I think some mechanical issues that he's gotta iron out to get to that level." Flagg didnt hit a single shot from beyond the arc.

But despite his shooting struggles, he delivered in a different way one that aligns with Mavericks head coach Jason Kidds vision.

In his post-draft press conference, Kidd made it clear he wanted Flagg to be uncomfortable by learning how to run the point guard position.

On Thursday, Flagg showed he could do just that.

There's been some buzz about Dallas wanting to play Flagg as a guard in the regular season, and Thursday suggested he can pull it off, Bleacher Reports Andy Bailey wrote.

And for the most part, he looked comfortable playing the role of de facto point guard.

He showed playmaking instincts that must have Mavs fans excited, especially since head coach Jason Kidd carried out a similar experiment nearly a decade ago with Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp While Flagg didnt shoot the ball particularly well, he answered his coachs challenge, proving he can step into the point guard role if needed.

His playmaking instincts are off the charts for such a young forward and theres still plenty of room for growth..

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