Draymond Green is concerned about how the Dallas Mavericks are handling Cooper Flagg, believing it could have long-term effects on the rookie’s career.
Flagg has had a slow start to his NBA journey, and while there is no need to panic just yet, the Mavericks have not found a way to get their promising talent up to speed.
The 18-year-old has been open about how he is not used to losing so often, and with Dallas sitting at 3-7 early in the season, that frustration might stick around for a while.
His latest matchup saw him outplayed by Cedric Coward, another reminder of the tough start he has had against fellow rookies.
Setbacks of this nature can severely affect a player’s confidence. In fact, Draymond Green has expressed concern that Flagg’s development could mirror that of Ben Simmons.
Draymond Green sees parallels between Cooper Flagg and Ben Simmons
On his podcast, Draymond Green discussed Flagg’s early struggles in the NBA, particularly the challenge of playing point guard for the Dallas Mavericks during his first season.
Green raised concerns that putting the 18-year-old in a role he is not suited for could impact his confidence in a similar way to what happened with Ben Simmons, who eventually found himself out of the league.
“It’s hard to play in this league when you don’t have a point guard. They’re trying Cooper at point guard. I understand it. You’re allowing him to play with the ball in his hands,” the Warriors’ icon began by saying.
“He won’t ultimately be a point guard, but you may believe that can help his development… He doesn’t have a point guard.”
Green continued: “Without having a point guard, I’m not sure that Cooper Flagg really knows how Klay Thompson can help him. I’m not sure he knows how to get AD involved…”
“Those are all growing pains of a rookie. It’s not that I don’t think Cooper Flagg is gonna be great. I think Cooper Flagg is gonna be incredible.
“We’re asking a rookie who is not a point guard to be a great point guard. That’s just not how it works. You just gotta be careful. It’s not his real position.
“You ask yourself if Ben Simmons was allowed to be a power forward who can handle the ball the way he handles the ball, would his career turn out differently than making him a point guard?
“The last thing you want is for him to lose his confidence trying to play point guard. Once you lose your confidence in this league, it’s nearly impossible to get it back.”
Cooper Flagg still struggling even after move away from point guard
In hopes of developing his ball-handling skills early in his career, Jason Kidd began the season by utilizing Flagg as the point guard.
But that move did not pay off, leading Kidd to bring Klay Thompson off the bench and start D’Angelo Russell instead.
Flagg then moved into a more natural role at forward, and with less responsibility to run the offence, you would expect him to settle in and start making an impact as the team’s top forward.
However, despite the Mavericks’ victory over the Wizards, he had a tough night shooting, managing only 12 points on 6-for-15 from the field.
He is going to need time to get back into rhythm. But it is fair to ask whether he can regain all of his confidence this season has cost him so far.
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