DALLAS — The buzz at the Dallas Mavericks‘ media day focused on the beginning of Cooper Flagg‘s NBA career, but coach Jason Kidd made a point to temper immediate expectations about another No. 1 overall pick from Duke.
Kidd took umbrage with public perception that Kyrie Irving will return sooner than normal from a torn ACL that the nine-time All-Star guard suffered in early March.
“When we do see [Irving] shooting, can we just refrain from saying ‘ahead of schedule?'” Kidd said, referring to recent clips on social media of Irving shooting on a court. “That’s bad reporting. I’m just giving you an answer to the test.
“He is doing quite well, as we can see, but he’s not ahead of schedule, and so let’s not say that. That’s unfair to him and to the Mavs because it’s not true. Is he on schedule? It looks like it.”
Minutes later, Irving entered the American Airlines Center interview room and addressed Kidd’s comments without being asked.
“I’m right on schedule, guys,” Irving said with a smile. “There’s consistency here. I’m right on schedule.”
Irving, who is entering his 15th season, added that he didn’t want to establish a specific target date at this point.
“I’d rather just let it be where it is and just play it every day and just push the limit as much as I can and push myself,” Irving said.
Irving is one of three future Hall of Famers, along with Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson, that the 18-year-old Flagg is eager to learn from as he begins his NBA career in a unique situation of being a No. 1 overall pick who joins a team with win-now expectations.
“He’s coming to a team that’s established and has veteran talent, and he doesn’t have to do as much as a normal number one pick has to do, if that makes sense,” said Davis, a 10-time All-Star who has been fully cleared from his offseason eye surgery but has been mandated by his doctor to wear protective glasses the rest of his career.
“Now, we’re still going to ask him to be Cooper Flagg for sure, but the pressure is not on him as much as it is a usual No. 1 pick who’s going to usually go to one of the worst teams in the league. The pressure is really nonexistent for them, and we’re going to try to make sure that we keep it that way.”
Thompson, a five-time All-Star, raved about Flagg’s physical gifts and talent but said he’s been most impressed with the rookie’s work ethic and receptiveness to information from his teammates.
As he did after the draft, Flagg said he feels “blessed” to join a franchise that features multiple players with championship experience.
“It’s been cool,” Flagg said. “Obviously some of the best vets in the league right now, some of the most experienced guys. As we’ve grown closer and being able to spend time around each other and get on the court, it’s been really good for me to just learn so much from ’em and try and pick their brains and see kind of how they see things.
“I think for me, it’s just about fitting in, fitting into any different lineup, any different who else is on the court and just trying to impact the game. Just finding ways no matter how small, just to be able to go out impact winning at a high level.”
Kidd is another Hall of Famer who will be happy to share wisdom gained from his career with Flagg, who the coach considers a rookie capable of being a major contributor right away, including handling some of the Mavs’ ballhandling and playmaking responsibilities.
“I think the biggest thing is just for him to be himself,” Kidd said. “We’re not asking him to carry the weight of the Dallas Mavericks. We’re asking him to be Cooper Flagg, and that’s pretty special.
“I look at things a little bit differently. I think you guys have talked about two different timelines. We can only be in the moment, and that’s just today, and for us to get better. … So there’s only one timeline. We’re here to win and we truly believe that piece of the puzzle, when you talk about Cooper, can help us.”
