Cooper Flagg Can Save The Mavericks

Cooper Flagg Can Save The Mavericks

All right, man. So, as I hope for some good news from Jason Tatum, and as the Wolves are up 3-1 now on the Warriors, let’s talk about the lottery. Also, there is a sponsor in this video. The Basketball gods just did the weirdest thing ever. And I know you’re going to get your conspiracy theories off. I’m not going to go there, but Dallas has the first pick. Happy for Dallas fans. Don’t think the front office deserves it whatsoever, but here we are. I know Nico is the most unpredictable GM in the world right now, but I think they are going to draft Flag. I also don’t think they’re going to trade AD. It’s an idea I’ve seen suggested already. Maximize the timeline of Cooper Flag. Get it as much stuff as you can. I see the vision, but I don’t think they’re going to do it. Also, Kyrie’s got the player option. We’ll see there. As far as right now goes, a Derek Lively, Anthony Davis, Cooper Flag situation where based on the positions those three play, typically two of them would start and there’s no way Cooper Flag is not starting. So do with that whatever you will. But yeah, that sounds terrifying defensively. I mean, the main thing with Cooper Flag before his growth as a shot creator and a shooter and a pick and roll player and all that stuff. He still has to improve on these things, but the progress he’s already made on them is pretty wild for his age, especially in his size, etc. Was his team defense, his help defense, being able to guard multiple forward positions, stuff like that, right? And also just how hard he plays, all that. So that sounds cool. And then as far as the offense, well, it would be nice to see him setting screens for Kyrie in his first season because Cooper Flag can also do this. He can set screens. He’s willing to do it. And he’s also a very good passer out of screens, making plays in the short role, finishing for himself, etc. But we’re not going to get to see that because Kyrie’s going to be out for most likely the whole season, if not that, the majority of the season. Now, if they don’t get another guard, then I don’t know, Max Christie, Brandon Williams, you’re up. Here’s Cooper Flag. Possibly Jaden Hardy as well. I don’t know. Denwood, he’s a free agent if you care. But since Kyrie is going to be out for a long time, there’s probably going to be more moments where Flag just has to create for himself on the perimeter, and this is probably his biggest swing skill is just continuing to develop as a ball handler and a one-on-one creator and a pick and roll operator, with which he did run more pick and roll than you might think, depending on how you think he was used offensively in his one year at Duke. Cooper can definitely put the ball on the floor. He can attack in a straight line. He can finish with a spin move around the basket, but there’s another level to get to as a creator. And again, he’s already making those improvements. As far as a two-man game with Anthony Davis, I mean, given the positions they play, like it might not be the thing you immediately think of. Like, you typically think of a guard more so for this, but yeah, like they could run screens together. I could picture some like within the three-point line type screening, especially. And when you combine that with the size and the physical tools and the shot, I mean, he got to like 39% from three and 84% on the free throw line, he’s the number one guy for a reason. The long-term goal is going to be, I mean, if Kyrie could stick around forever, that’d be nice. But eventually, you’re going to have to get like a guard who is on Cooper Flag’s timeline who can also have a twoman game with Cooper. Now, is Dallas going to have the tools to do all this long term? Well, they’re going to have their pick in 2026. They are most likely not going to have it in 2027. 28, they don’t control their own pick. 29 and 30, it’s weird. So, it’s going to be a little spotty there, but you got another guy. I don’t really think the front office deserves to have another guy. The fan base, okay, I’m happy for them to have some life in basketball again, but okay, you got another guy. So, congrats. The next 15 years for the Dallas Mavericks has now changed drastically, and it is insane to say that given where we were implied, but I didn’t really say, everything revolves around Cooper. Now, if somebody does not compliment Cooper’s game, then either they have to learn to compliment his game or they’re not going to be on the team long term. Okay, Spurs at number two, Sixers at number three. This is fascinating. We saw the Wizards, the Jazz, and the Hornets all just fall in this thing. It’s basically a disaster for all three of them. They can still get good players. We’ll talk about it, but okay. The Pelicans as well, although they were not projected to be that bad going into the season. And then you see these two teams that are really just trying to win now. Philly obviously much more desperate. The Spurs are just in a an amazing place of luxury with how good Webby already is and how they held on to a bunch of stuff to still get deer and Fox for the Spurs. So, they could just go Dylan Harper. Okay, Dylan Harper’s the consensus number two guy. He’s a big crafty creator who can create for himself and others, get downhill, draw the defense in, make plays, really good finisher, not just on dunks in college. Also, the Ruters spacing was not ideal and he was still doing it. And if they keep the pick and they think he’s the best player available, then okay. But with that said, they’ve got De’Arren Fox, they’ve got Stfan Castle, and picturing Dylan Harper with that is pretty awkward. And I would say the offball playing off the catch stuff with Dylan Harper, like sure, he could develop it, but it’s not the best use of him, right? But still, he’s the consensus number two guy. So, you could convince me of a number of things here where the Spurs just do it because screw it. Let’s just take the best player available and figure it out and whatever moves we got to make, we make. It it could also be just a bunch of teams calling. I mean, I think the Jazz would love to have Harper. I don’t think the Collier and Keonte George are good enough to where you don’t draft Dylan Harper if that was the proper amount of negatives used in one sentence. So, we’ll see. It’s a really interesting spot that the Spurs are in. Number three, the Sixers. Similar thing, also a really fascinating spot where they could trade this and and you do that whole thing if they are going to pick somebody. You look at Ace Bailey, the contested shot making was real in college for him, but his reliance on those shots and there’s real fears about his ability to get downhill, finish if he does get downhill. And so I feel like for a team like Philly, you’d probably want him to come in and be more of like an offball catch and shoot type of guy. And sure, if that contested shot making translates to being able to just play off of Embiid, PG and Maxi, and make a whole bunch of shots, there’s a lot of value there. You then compare that to like Edgecomb who’s a super athlete who’s going to be more of like a defensive playmaker. Do you want to inject your team with that type of energy, but also Philly’s got a lot of guards already with McCain and Grimes and Maxi whereas Bailey is a wing. So we’ll see what Philly does. If you’re thinking about the Hornets at number four, I mean VJ Edgecomb just seems really fun for them because he’s a nice contrast with LaMelo and Brandon Miller where again better defensively, great athlete at the guard spot and he kept on improving as a shooter as his college year went along and he was like involved in some offball sets to where he was kind of letting it fly, not just super standill wide open in the corner type threes. I mean, draft people, they love VJ. You know, you look at the Jazz at number five. If they still really wanted to take another swing on a point guard, you’re looking at either Yakonis or Jeremiah Fears. I’ll say in general, I’ve seen those guys projected a bit lower than number five, but who really knows with this stuff. Little different of players. Yakon is more of a textbook passer. Some questions about his turnovers and separation, the three ball, although he’s also definitely made some tough threes. Jeremiah Fears is more of a speed demon, but again, like Dylan Harper is good enough to where you put Keonte and Collier to the wayside when you’re making the pick, but you’re not going to get him in number five. If you’re looking for more of just a guard who can pop, you’re looking at more so Trey Johnson here, more of a scorer than those two. There is Jagor Deon as well, a very tall playmaker, but he’s also projected a little lower. And Trey Johnson’s been a little all over the place. Like I’ve seen him as high as around number five, and I’ve seen him a decent amount lower, too. But yeah, I mean, this group here of the Jazz, the Wizards, and the Nets, like all three of these teams were looking for the home run. No doubt we’re picking this guy with this spot, and to end up where they are is just wild. like you’re just going to be in the weeds of oh well if we’re the Wizards do we want to go for like another wing who projects really well defensively like um Murray Boils or Carter Bryant who have been rising up draft boards lately. Now I haven’t talked about Coniple much with his shooting as well as better off the dribble game than I think gets talked about with him because the shooting is the main selling point for his offense. I do think he could step in and just be a nice piece on a lot of places, but he’s just consistently not projected in like the top four. If it’s not obvious by now, this draft does become not random, but a bit of like the eye of the beholder type stuff once you get past number four or so. But it’s like, man, you’ve already got Bal and Sar and Keshan and Bub. Like, you’re going to add another guy who seems like a nice piece to a team. I mean, that’s just kind of the situation you’re in with the pick you got. Similar thing with the Raptors where you could convince me of so many different things with the Raptors because they got like a million forwards. By that I mean three, but also Quickley and Purle are good players at the point and center spots. Last thing I’m going to think about before I get out of here, thinking about these centers who are projected in the lottery or at least in the top 10, Malawatch as well as Derrick Queen. So Derek Queen, it’s like he’s this center who can create for himself off the dribble. And while the assist numbers didn’t pop, every draft person believes that he can be a real passer. And there’s like stuff from his high school days to really project that stuff. And some of the passes he was able to pull off a really nice, it’s a very interesting type of player that I think also needs a very specific team around him of like defensive players and but also he’s not a shooter. So you’re probably going to need like kind of like a shooting big around him. He’s interesting player to try to fit in. But if you can find the right spot, it’s like kind of fun to imagine. And then as far as Malawatch, I mean, he’s more of your typical just really, really big rim protector, pick and roll guy. His block numbers were not huge, but his deterrence around the rim was real. But then I think about these teams, it’s like, well, the Wizards, they’ve already got SAR, but also in an ideal world, SAR is this like very I mean, I you could say futuristic, but let’s just say modernday big for the 2020s with shooting and working off the dribble and everything. The Pelicans just drafted me. The Nets have Claxton. Now, it wouldn’t shock me if Claxton was not on the Nets next season, but okay. The Raptors have Purle, the Rockets have ShenGun, the Blazers have Klingan, and also DeAndre Aiden, but you know what I mean. I don’t know. It’s all interesting stuff. The draft is what, like a month and two weeks from now. I’m sure we will get a lot of trade speculation in that time. And I feel like we typically don’t see anywhere close to as many trades as people imagine we’re going to see on draft night.

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