Cooper Flagg entered the NBA with heavy expectations as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Kevin Durant does not believe pressure is what's holding the former Duke star back. Instead, he points to the challenges of a position change as the reason behind the rookie's inconsistent play.
After a recent Dallas Mavericks loss to the Rockets, Durant told the media, “I think that you’re going from in college playing four and five to playing point guard, two guard, That’s going to be an adjustment period for everybody.”
Flagg played most of his collegiate minutes as a forward but was quickly moved to the backcourt by Dallas' coaching staff. Part of that decision was bourne out of necessity. The Mavericks' controversial decision to trade Luka Dončić left them short of playmaking in the backcourt. The likelihood that Kyrie Irving will miss the lion's share of the 2025-26 season due to injury only exacerbated the crisis of Dallas' perimeter playmaking.
Cooper Flagg has been forced into playing point guard
Flagg suddenly became the Mavericks' playmaker with the most playmaking upside. Instead of allowing him to feel his way into the pro game as a power forward, the Mavericks made the decision to put the ball in his hands. Predictably, Flagg has struggled with the combination of adjusting to the rigors of NBA basketball and making a position change.
Durant was quick to stand up for the talented rookie after seeing him in person. He was harkened back to the challenges he faced when transitioning from a mid-post creator in college to a true perimeter scorer in the NBA. He claims that position switches like that can really "throw off" rookies who are asked to make them.
That's good news for any Mavericks fans who might be underwhelmed with the production they've received from their highly-touted rookie. Improving his ball handling and passing skills are things that an NBA coaching staff should be able to help him with. The flashes of brilliance he's already shown as a playmaker are much more important than any lack of consistency he's faced on the young season.
Shouldering Flagg with such a heavy offensive workload will probably cost the Mavericks a fair share of wins this year. The simple truth is that Dallas does not have the healthy roster talent to be a real factor in the Western Conference. Giving Flagg a ton of reps during a season with low stakes may be the best path forward for a franchise that wants to grow into a title contender with him as their best player.
Following Durant's example might be a great model for Flagg. The future Hall of Famer struggled with consistency early in his career before coming one of the best offensive players on the planet. Flagg might lack that killer scoring instinct but he does seem to have better feel as a playmaker. That could be a deadly combination once he adjusts to the rigors of professional basketball.