The Mavericks have a pairing in place that could make life a lot easier for Cooper Flagg, and an NBA scout thinks Kyrie Irving’s return may be the key to unlocking it.
Dallas has been steady in its stance on Irving, even with his age gap from Flagg and the fact that he is coming off ACL surgery. Around the league, teams have been watching Irving’s availability closely, but the Mavericks have kept trade chatter at arm’s length. Internally, they believe the two can fit together without much friction.
That idea makes sense when you look at Irving’s track record. He has already shared the floor with plenty of ball-dominant stars, including Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, and Kevin Durant. Flagg, though, is the one who may need the bigger adjustment.
The scout who spoke to Sports Illustrated saw that as a strength, not a problem.
“Irving returning will be a big help,” the scout said. “For one thing, he takes the best defender off of Flagg.
In a lot of cases, if a team has one great perimeter defender, he's going to be on Kyrie. So that helps anybody when that is the situation.
And then Kyrie's playmaking, drawing help, maybe Flagg can get some easier buckets off the ball.”
That wrinkle matters because Flagg was often the Mavericks’ only real scoring threat last season. That meant opposing teams could load up their best perimeter stopper on him night after night.
With Irving back in the mix, that becomes much harder to sort out. Defenses will have to decide where to send their top guard or wing defender, and there won’t always be an obvious answer.
Houston offers a good example. Amen Thompson is one of the league’s better defenders, but the Rockets would have a real choice to make: use his athleticism on Irving or his length on Flagg. Houston added Marcus Smart this offseason, though he may not be in the starting lineup.
That kind of dilemma could open the door for the other Mavericks star. Plenty of teams simply do not have two elite perimeter defenders to throw at both players.
The success of the season will hinge on how quickly Flagg and Irving get comfortable together. The encouraging part for Dallas is that both players are known for being selfless.
Flagg’s production last year looks even more impressive when you remember how much of the offensive burden fell on him, with limited shooting around him to create space. Irving, meanwhile, can lighten that load in a major way, and he was at his best at Duke when he could operate as a secondary playmaker.
If the two click early and the supporting cast knocks down open threes, the Mavericks’ offense has a chance to take a real step forward.
In Other News...
Dereck Lively Stands Between The Mavs And A Scary Young Frontcourt
The Mavericks have reason to feel better about their long-term frontcourt picture after watching young talent start to stack up around Cooper Flagg and Morez Johnson Jr. If those two continue to develop as expected, the idea of a big, athletic, modern trio starts to look less like a theory and more like a foundation. Dereck Lively II is the piece that could make it click, giving Dallas the rim protection, vertical spacing and defensive anchor that can let the others play off him.
Livelys value is obvious, but so is the uncertainty that comes with counting on him to stay on the floor. His health will shape how the Mavericks map out the next phase of the roster, especially with the teams direction still subject to change and Kyrie Irvings future part of that larger conversation. Dallas can imagine a frontcourt built around youth and size, but the path from promising idea to dependable core runs straight through Livelys availability. [Read more 🡒]
Kyrie Irvings Return Could Change Everything For Cooper Flagg
The Mavericks enter a very different stretch than the one Cooper Flagg experienced in his rookie season, with Masai Ujiri taking over as general manager and Dusty May now on the bench. Flagg already showed he can handle the spotlight, but the roster around him is shifting in ways that could make his second year look much different, especially with Kyrie Irving set to rejoin the mix after his injury absence and Zaccharie Risacher also being evaluated as part of the bigger picture.
Irving's return matters because Dallas is no longer trying to build around a lone young centerpiece. Flagg had to navigate his first season without that kind of veteran backcourt partner, and the Mavericks now believe Irving's presence can help ease some of the pressure on their rookie star while giving the offense another layer of creativity. The real question is how quickly the fit takes shape and whether the new-look roster can turn all that promise into something more than just a talented collection of moving parts. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Could Make A Crucial Hire After Last Season's Medical Shakeup
The Mavericks spent last season dealing with a medical setup that came under the microscope, so it makes sense they are looking hard at the people behind the scenes now. One name to watch is Nico Berg, who has emerged as a candidate for the teams head of medical operations job as Dallas evaluates how it wants to rebuild that side of the operation.
Berg is not a longtime NBA fixture, which adds some intrigue to the process. His only prior consulting work in the league came with Minnesota more than a decade ago, so the Mavericks would be betting on a relatively fresh outside voice to help shape an area that can have as much impact on a season as any move on the roster. [Read more 🡒]