The Dallas Mavericks drafted Cooper Flagg to be the offensive engine of their franchise for years to come. They did not necessarily envision the No. 1 overall pick starting for them at point guard during his rookie season. That's just what Dallas intends to do with Flagg as they take on the Lakers on Wednesday night.
A minor injury to D'Angelo Russell necessitated the move for the Mavericks. He, along with Dante Exum and Brandon Williams, make up the team's top three options at point guard. All three are going to miss tonight's matchup with Los Angeles. That opens the door for a tempting matchup of Flagg vs. Luka Dončić for long stretches of the game.
It's an obvious mismatch in Doncic's favor based on experience. He is a 26-year-old veteran who will be playing his 10th NBA season. Flagg is an 18-year-old who has yet to play a minute of regular season NBA basketball. The former Duke star's stellar amateur play propelled him to be the first pick in last year's draft, but it will not prepare him for the craft and physicality Dončić will bring into their matchup.
The Mavericks, I’m told, are planning a new starting lineup tonight at Utah with D’Angelo Russell out.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 13, 2025
Rookie of the Year favorite Cooper Flagg starts at point guard and P.J. Washington should move into D’Lo’s spot alongside Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II. pic.twitter.com/5Zyyf9mGNB
Luka Dončić is a uniquely tough matchup for Cooper Flagg
Dončić may not be the quickest guard in the world, but his stellar handle is going to be difficult for Flagg to manage at the point of attack. Expect the Lakers to get lots of easy looks based on Dončić's advantage off the dribble.
Mavericks fans should not be too concerned to see Dončić win those off the dribble battles in Wednesday night's contest. Flagg's best position as a rookie almost certainly won't be at the point guard position. It's very likely he will earn more minutes as a power forward than a point this year. Simply competing with Dončić at the point of attack should be chalked up as a win for the talented rookie.
The more interesting side of this matchup should come when Dallas has the ball. Flagg does have a decided three-inch height advantage over Dončić that should give him the ability to make passes over the Lakers' superstar. Mavericks fans should watch closely to see how efficiently Flagg can initiate their halfcourt offense against Dončić.
There's also a chance that Flagg can use his advanced handle to get by Dončić off the dribble. That would be a boon to a Mavericks' offense that needs to lean on their young playmaker to create advantageous situations. Dončić is not a defensive stalwart, so Flagg should at least show flashes of brilliance against him with the ball in his hands.
In the end, fans should expect to see Dončić torment his rookie opponent whenever he is isolated against him with the ball in his hands. That might cause the Mavericks to lose this preseason game but shouldn't be an indictment on Flagg's readiness to help them win as a rookie.
Dallas fans do need to see Flagg show signs of offensive juice against Dončić when he's given the chance to isolate against him in space. The likely Rookie of the Year needs to punish mismatches to help his team win. Doing good work against Dončić in the preseason could be a strong indicator of what's to come in that regard.