Cooper Flagg is already a household NBA name thanks to his offensive highlight plays through high school, college and, recently, summer league. But through the first few days of Mavericks training camp, the No. 1 pick understands the defensive culture that head coach Jason Kidd is conjuring.
“Utilizing our size and using that to our advantage,” Flagg said on Tuesday. “We have a lot of tall, lengthy, positionless players. Covering a lot of ground with our length will be an advantage for sure.”
Dallas has finished in the bottom half in defensive rating (according to Cleaning the Glass) in 13 out of the last 15 seasons, a disappointment considering some of the accomplished ball stoppers to have come through the organization during that span. But with a healthy Anthony Davis, the arrival of veteran assistants Frank Vogel and Jay Triano — along with the addition of Flagg — the expectation for the Mavericks is to be a versatile, aggressive defense.
Flagg, who stands 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot wingspan, joins the likes of Davis, P.J. Washington, Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford in arguably the NBA’s most physically imposing frontcourt — on paper. It’s going to take much more than that for the Mavericks to turn their defensive fortunes around, but Flagg’s presence gives the organization a much-needed jolt in its retooling efforts.
Kidd referenced the importance of creating “championship habits” and the value of communication, all of which starts on the defensive end. Flagg’s versatility lends itself to a Mavericks coaching staff that plans to use him in various ways, from chasing smaller guards around the perimeter to playing alongside Davis as a small-ball big.
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During summer league, Flagg was particularly effective as a help defender from the weakside, using his lateral quickness to rotate and shrink the floor (he averaged 1.5 steals and 1 block), but training camp is much more advanced in terms of playcalls and schemes. There will be a natural adjustment period for Flagg as he becomes more accustomed to his new teammates and coaches. He has spent the first few practices watching and learning tendencies, spacing and studying defensive drills.
“The communication and dedication to playing hard and doing it on both ends,” Flagg said. “Having five guys on the court communicating with each other and [buying] in to get stops on every possession.
“It’s different terminology, you just gotta get accustomed to it. Sometimes I mess up and say an old terminology I used at Duke. But if you say something, it’s better than saying nothing and just letting your teammate know where you are. Any communication is good.”
Offensively, Flagg should serve well as a secondary playmaker alongside D’Angelo Russell. His Vegas stint was largely positive in that aspect, sharing playmaking duties with Ryan Nembhard and being tasked with creation — typically with pressure in front and around him. Kidd has been impressed with how Flagg has operated with and without the ball and praised his overall IQ and attitude toward the game.
“His ability to dribble and pass is going to be one of his strengths because he does it at a high level,” Kidd said over the summer.
“Just trying to take it one step at a time and enjoy the process every step of the way,” Flagg said. “Don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I’m really excited.”
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