Cooper Flagg has been the talk of the Mavericks since draft night, but the No. 1 overall pick knows his biggest challenge is still ahead: adjusting to the NBA game and fitting into head coach Jason Kidd’s defensive vision.
“Utilizing our size and using that to our advantage,” Flagg said Tuesday, via Yahoo Sports. “We have a lot of tall, lengthy, positionless players. Covering a lot of ground with our length will be an advantage for sure.”
The Mavericks have long struggled defensively, finishing in the bottom half of the league in defensive rating in 13 of the last 15 seasons.
But with Anthony Davis healthy, veteran assistants Frank Vogel and Jay Triano joining the bench, and Flagg adding his size and versatility to the frontcourt, the expectation is clear, Dallas must defend at a championship level.
Flagg, who stands 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot wingspan, has already been slotted into lineups with Davis, Dereck Lively, Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington, giving Dallas one of the league’s most imposing groups.
“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.”
Flagg admits the new terminology has been a hurdle early on.
“It’s different terminology, you just gotta get accustomed to it,” Flagg said. “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.”
Flagg, is keeping his mindset simple.
“Just trying to take it one step at a time and enjoy the process every step of the way,” he said. “Don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I’m really excited.”
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