Jason Kidd isn’t wasting any time with No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg.
The Dallas Mavericks head coach made it clear he wants the 18-year-old rookie running the floor immediately, starting with the team’s Summer League debut against the Lakers on July 10.
“I’m excited about giving him the ball against the Lakers and see what happens,” Kidd said at Flagg’s introductory press conference. “Let’s get it started, right off the bat.”
Flagg, who starred at Duke last season and led the team in all five major statistical categories, averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. He also became the youngest No. 1 pick since LeBron James in 2003.
Kidd sees Flagg’s leadership and mindset as a major asset.
“Just sitting here listening to him, isn’t it incredible?” Kidd said. “I mean, we’re talking about an 18-year-old who has all the right answers and is talking about working out after this. But when you talk about his gift, he’s a basketball player. And he’s a winner.”
The Mavs’ coach doesn’t want Flagg boxed into one role, either.
“I want to put him at the point guard. I want to make him uncomfortable and see how he reacts, being able to run the show,” Kidd said. “We want to push. And I think he’s going to respond in a positive way. It’s all right to fail. It’s all right to turn the ball over. We’ve talked about that.”
Kidd sees similarities between Flagg and a young Giannis Antetokounmpo, whom he coached in Milwaukee.
“But he wanted to come back and have the ball,” Kidd said of Antetokounmpo.
Flagg, meanwhile, is ready to absorb everything.
“I’m just looking forward to being a sponge,” Flagg said. “Just getting down here, I’m excited to just learn, soak it all in and learn from the guys that are older and have been through it all before.”
With veterans like Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson and Anthony Davis around him, Flagg enters the league in a rare position, a No. 1 pick joining a playoff-ready team.
