Cooper Flagg’s NBA debut isn’t concerning, but Mavericks may be asking too much of their star rookie

Cooper Flagg’s NBA debut was completely eclipsed by an MVP performance from Victor Wembanyama, who put up 40 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks. Flagg finished the game with 10 points and 10 rebounds on 4 of 13 from the floor in a 125-92 blowout loss to the Spurs, as the Mavericks were completely clueless in trying to slow Wembanyama.

In all fairness, it was always going to be an uphill battle for the Mavericks in this game, because Wembanyama is a literal cheat code on both ends of the floor. It’s actually surprising that Dallas entered this game as the slight betting favorites (-2.5), because there’s not a single player on that team who can credibly guard him. Anthony Davis was Dallas’ best shot, and he — a five-time All-Defensive player — was just lost with Wemby in front of him.

Having to play against Wembanyama is a difficult first test for Flagg, and while there will certainly be some overreactions because of the outsized expectations that come with being the No. 1 overall pick, there shouldn’t be any panic about his uneven debut.

Flagg looked most comfortable offensively in the third quarter, where he scored eight of his 10 points. Unsurprisingly, all of that production came with Wembanyama off the floor, which allowed the rookie to attack the rim — what he’s best at — and get to his spots in the mid-range. His 10-minute stretch in the third quarter was the best snapshot of the type of offensive player he will be, and fortunately he won’t have to go against Wembanyama 82 times in a season.

He was aggressive on the boards and held his own defensively, but the Mavericks will have to figure out how he fits in the starting lineup, because the Flagg-at-point-guard experiment might need to be shelved as soon as the next game. It was something the Mavericks toyed with in the preseason to some success, so Dallas coach Jason Kidd stuck with it for the season opener. 

Flagg’s obviously not a natural point guard, and the decision was made primarily because of his defensive capabilities, but what we got was just an unorganized mess. He wasn’t really involved on offense for most of the first half (just two shot attempts), and guys like Davis and Klay Thompson were playing iso ball. That’s really just a criticism of how the Mavericks’ offense looked, where there was little ball movement and everyone was settling for poor shots. That’s also the reality of playing against Wembanyama, whose presence quite literally scares teams from even looking at the paint. Still, though, putting Flagg at point guard feels like the Mavericks are making things harder than they have to be.

Yes, Kidd had success in the past with turning Giannis Antetokounmpo into a point-forward, but Flagg isn’t the physical specimen who can just impose his strength on guys and charge towards the rim. If Kidd wanted to see if Flagg would sink or swim, then that’s a fine test to give your rookie, but it doesn’t seem like a viable long-term option with the way this team is constructed.

If the Mavericks had plans to tank this season, then sure, run Flagg at point guard — let him just get the reps and don’t worry about the wins and losses. The skills he’ll develop at the position will certainly help him in the long run. But that’s not the reality of this team. They traded Luka Dončić for Davis in hopes of winning a championship now. This isn’t a roster built to tank, so balancing Flagg’s development with the desire to compete this season is going to be a difficult tightrope to walk.

The Mavericks signed D’Angelo Russell this past summer with the idea that he would be the starting point guard until Kyrie Irving got back, but Russell came off the bench on Wednesday. It was a bad night for Russell, just six points on 1 of 6 from the floor, but he’s someone who can get things organized on offense. Having him in the starting lineup would take the pressure off Flagg, who could be that secondary ball-handler without having the sole responsibility of running the offense.

Asking Flagg to be the point guard and play out of position feels like a massive ask for a rookie, especially on this specific team. He showed flashes in the third quarter of the type of player he can be, but the Mavericks have to put him in a position to succeed in order for him to put together more than a quarter’s worth of a good game.