Cooper Flagg & Dereck Lively Are POISED for a BREAKOUT Season for the Dallas Mavericks

Cooper Flagg & Dereck Lively Are POISED for a BREAKOUT Season for the Dallas Mavericks

On today’s show, I think Cooper Flag has a chance to be a breakout candidate for the Mavericks. Let me explain and we’ll tell you who else is a breakout candidate for the Mavs on today’s Mavs. Stop it. Stop. The number one pick will go to the Dallas Mavericks. Cooper flag will fly in Dallas. All of you are Locked on M. Your daily Mavericks podcast of the Locked on Podcast Network. your team every day. I’m going to get a city right back. And welcome. You are locked on to the Dallas Mavericks. Your team every day. My name is Nick Angstead, medium member covering the Maver 10 years. Thanks for being every day. Making locked on maps your first listen each and every day all through the off season. We’re deep in NBA August and we’re still here, baby, talking about the Dallas Mavericks. Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Football season is around the corner. Visit the FanDuel app today and start planning your future bets and uh pay attention to the Cowboys until you get sick of them and then you come right back here. What about that preseason game against the Ravens, baby? Joining me as always, my co-host medium member coming after 10 years right alongside me, the Baltimore Raven Reject, the One More Think King. What you got for me, Isaac Harris? All right. I hooped hooped a little bit tonight and yeah, I went and had some uh had a good hoop session in my Sabrina’s one. That’s the best basketball shoes I’ve played. I mean, I’ve had this pair for a while and I just Yeah, nothing compares to it right now for me until the Paige Becker’s one comes out. Oh, is she Nike? I don’t I don’t know. I should know that, but I don’t. Um I had a first moment tonight. First time in a long time, though. It was I’ve reached this like you know and we’re in our 30s and uh guarding someone on the perimeter. They did kind of a side step back and started to drive but then step back and my my left knee got a little wobbly and which is fine. No, it wasn’t hurt but it was like one of those like uh-oh, I’ve reached this age. like this hasn’t happened before to where I’m like I used to see this when I was younger and be like dude how how did your legs like collapse for someone like that and then it like started to happen and I like caught myself and a couple dudes was like oh and luckily he missed the shot but still I was just like wow I’m reaching this age I need to put in some more work so before you yell at Dwight Powell out there out there exactly uh also it’s not okay Because you’re about to go to Disney World with your family in a couple weeks. Yes. So, I think this is Dude, if you messed up your knee, like if you did what Slightly did, you’d be speak this on me. Now, I’m not going to play any basketball. No, good. I want to scare you to wrap those in bubble wrap. Uh Paige is Nike, by the way. Let’s go. Yeah. Swoosh life. Today’s episode, we’re going to talk about breakout candidates. Paige Becker is definitely a breakout uh star in the WNBA. We’re going to talk about breakout candidates for the Dallas Mavericks. who is going to break out to take another take a a step forward. It’s not a leap, it’s a breakout. It’s different. It’s a different It’s a difference right there. We’ll also talk about bust candidates. Who could be a bust? There’s a lot of NFL shows right now doing this breakout and bust uh different shows. Then we’ll talk about players in the west we think could break out and get into all that. But let’s start here. Isaac Harris, a breakout candidate to me is somebody that takes a takes a step forward in some way. somebody that elevates their status across the league and to people around the NBA, casual fans, all that. And I think Cooper Flag is a candidate here because one, I was I’m going to talk about him every single day until the NBA season and then through the NBA season and all that. But two, I think being a college name and being like this highly touted prospect in college is one thing and being as popular as he is is one thing. We’ve seen these players come through before though. We’ve seen a, you know, think of go back to like Adam Morrison, you know, like a player that was super popular in college. What’s the Why are you comparing those two? He was a he they’re both sneaky athletic. They’re both gym rats like coaches. They um but he’s just like a high the high-profile player that everybody knew and you you’re like, “Okay, well, what’s this?” his his profile is at a certain point, the expectations are at a certain point and then all of a sudden he gets to the league and you go, “Oh, I don’t know if this is going to work. I don’t know if this is going to work.” And then all of a sudden he drops off the face of the earth in the public’s perception. And I think Cooper Flag could be a breakout candidate because he’s going to go from a college name to a household NBA name and go, “Oh, he he belongs in here.” Like a, you know, like like Kevin Durant where Kevin Durant was like pretty pretty well known because he had a great year. Anthony Davis came was at Kentucky and had a great year and then came to the Pelicans was awesome. And you go, “Oh, okay. So this is this is for real. this is this is, you know, this is great. And I think Cooper Flag can be a breakout candidate in that way. I’m with you. And clearly the NBA thinks the same thing. I mean, they put him on Christmas Day and uh we talked about that the other day. So, um yeah, I I think, you know, Cooper is one of the most hyped up, you know, number one overall draft picks uh in, you know, this the last like 10 years. I mean, you look at a guy like uh you know, Wimby, you look at some of these past number one picks, he has the We did the draft and there was not a ton of names. Like, you start going through and you’re like, “Oh, this is like not a deep list.” But I also took Cooper and I clearly came in third and I got roasted for that. Um, but no, I’m with you on that. And and once again, I I feel like we’re a broken record when we say this. It’s going to look different, right? Like it’s it a breakout for Cooper Flag is not going to be the same. Uh when you look at a a typical rookie and you say, “Oh man, this rookie, you know, man, he’s breaking out right now and he’s averaging 27 a game.” That’s not going to be how it looks for Cooper Flag. It’s going to be he’s going to be a breakout candidate type of guy uh because of both sides of the floor because he’s, you know, having these highlight floors. I think the thing that will help the perception or the the narrative around him being a breakout guy is I think he’s going to have the highlight plays. He’s gonna have the massive blocks, the lock down on defense at times, uh the just absolute poster on somebody. He’s going to have those. Um yeah, the new thing the new thing is the edits. He’s going to have he’s going to have edits where it’s a video where it’s like quick clips, like quick highlight clips. It’s like, you know, a one minute or 30 second video of just like it’s it’s set to some song and it’s just like boom like over and over again and you just see block block block dunk dunk. It’s gonna be awesome. It’s it’s like the the intro to a to an NBA game where they play that quick highlight package and it’s just like super hype, but they get posted all the time now and there’s there’s so many of them. Yeah, especially if you’re 67. The the layup line, he’s going to put on some sh shows in that. Uh, so that’s gonna be fun for fans and all that, but I’m with you. Yeah. Cougar flag breakout. He threw down a reverse windmill in layup lines in summer league just like casually. And I was like, “Oh, he’s not he he he has fun with that stuff, which I think is fun, too.” He’s going to be a fun fun guy for people to talk to or talk about because the discourse around him because I think the NBA nerds are going to love him. The analytic guys are going to love him and the people who are like really hardcore into basketball. But then it’s going to be the casualty like dude is he that good because he you know he could average like let’s say the first few months of the season he’s averaging like 13 points a game or 15 points a game but he has like he’s really efficient on the floor and he’s playing awesome defense and all this stuff and some people are going to be like h I don’t know about this guy but the nerds are going to be like yes he’s it. Yeah I’m excited for him. He’s a breakout candidate for sure. Give me another one of yours. Oh top of my list Derek Lively. Let’s go. I think people are sleeping on this guy. I think national people are sleeping on this guy. How good he was his rookie season. Um I I went back he has had some injuries, but I’m I’m kind of like working around this take of is the injuries a little bit overhyped that now we’ve we’ve clearly put the label on him as he’s injuryprone and he had that injury last year and stuff that really hurt him and then the story, you know, with all the training staff and everything around his injury and all that stuff. I did go back and look at his injuries. He has had a decent amount of like little injuries here and there, but he was so dang good his rookie season that helped him get to the NBA finals. I mean, this was when we had the Lively Gaffer conversation at times that they couldn’t take Lively off the floor. I mean, I remember we were joking and stuff uh cuz that that was the season I worked for the Mavs. We were joking and stuff in the offices about like, hey, is is Lively like the most indispensable player right now? Like we like we can’t take him off the floor. This is a rookie guy and I just think that he’s going to I think he’s going to come out and be healthy. I think you’re going to see the two-way. You know, I I get it that he doesn’t have Luca throwing lobs and all the stuff and running to pick and roll and stuff. I get that. But I think he’s better than just like a lob than a rim roller. I think he’s got more to his game. I think he’s going to compliment AD and all all of that. And hopefully we get an outside shot at some point, but I’m not banking on it. It’s more of seeing a healthy lively on the floor. I think it’s going to remind some people how good he was this rookie season and how good he can be moving forward. You want him as a decision maker in the offense. You want him to catch the ball in the short role and to and it’s maybe not going to be as on as many double teams, but Anthony Davis is going to require some double teams, right? Teams are going to double team D’Angel Russell because the scouting report on the Mavericks is going to be they don’t have enough decision makers. They don’t have enough playmakers. That’s what we’ve been saying all offseason. and teams are going to double team their one the one ball handler quote unquote and the ball’s going to get put in Lively’s hands and I think that is a as a good thing. He’s absolutely one slightly and I talked about him on Friday as or on Thursday as somebody that is could be a break could could take a leap could take a leap into the next level and you talked about his offense a little bit his defense he takes a leap and and breaks out he could become one of the like premier defensive names in in in the league premier u perimeter defense I think that was something his rookie year that we looked at and say hey that’s the next level for him and I feel like he was starting to get there like okay he’s moving better on the perimeter and stuff So, uh, I’m excited for Yeah. And I think we obviously everything’s around Cooper Flag and the young, you know, stud that Cooper Flag will be moving forward. But imagine and, you know, we’re talking about Anthony Davis. Will he be healthy? When does Kyrie come back? Is Clay going to bounce back? What’s BJ? What’s, you know, the D’Angelo Russell signing? And I feel like he’s kind of getting forgotten a little bit about how good he can be to where imagine if he comes out and just really does have a breakout season. Then you’re looking at this roster with oh like national people will look at the roster and say man they got two two young cornerstone pieces that they’re going to be building around that’s going to be the front court of the future whenever that future is. They get put in these lists of like the best young core and it’s just two like just off of like just off of somebody will say just off of these two guys they have the best young core right like yeah that that that would be awesome and I’m excited for Derek Lively. posted so Dallas Maverick social posted a video of him working out running on the treadmill doing some doing some work and you’re just like I’m just like getting hype for him like give us that content let’s go back up keep it keep it keep it going coming up we’re going to keep it going I got a couple more names that could break out and then who’s going to bust [Music] today’s episode of Lock M brought to you by Fanduel That was for the people that that was for the people that stick around. FanDuel is there. Uh August 26th is coming up. It’s officially FanDuel Futures Day. A brand new holiday for football fans who live for bold predictions and preseason hunches. For just 24 hours, FanDuel is giving you deals on NFL season predictions. So whether you’re calling your MVP, eyeing a longot division winner or ready to crown your Super Bowl champion before week one, if it’s the Cowboys, I just seek seek help like seek seek your your local Cowboys fan and talk and talk to them. Uh this is your moment right now. Go to FanDuel Sportsbook, see what is available for you and see what kind of futures you can get u to make the playoffs. We’ll just go with the Cowboys to make the playoffs. Plus 190, which is like not crazy actually, which is kind of wild. They’re all kind of low though. Seattle is plus 180, Bears plus 180, Jacksonville Jaguars plus 172. Maybe that tells you what they got. Go check out all the things on FanDuel. Visit the FanDuel app today and start planning your futures bets now because futures day is one day and one day only. That day is August 26th. FanDuel, play your game. Please gamble responsibly. Shut it down. Let’s go home. Thanks for hanging out with us on Locked on Apps, being part of the show, part of the raccoon squad. That’s what we call our listeners, listening every single day. And if you are listening to this show or if you’re listening to the show, actually, you’re listening to the show if you can hear my voice. We have a Mavs fan survey. We’re doing a fan survey. It’s 25 questions. It asks you about your opinions on what the what you think the Mavericks are. Cooper Flag, uh, Luca versus Cooper Flag, maybe a little bit in there. Uh, stuff about ownership, stuff about Nico, stuff about, um, just the the roster and the team. There’s a link in the description wherever you’re listening, watching this. We’ll also post it at Locked on Mabs on all of our socials, everywhere. Isaac and I’ll be posting it. We’ll be talking about this and we’re going to do a week of just like talking through all these these answers. Uh, and so it’ll it’ll be be good stuff there. We want as many Mavs fans to fill this out. I know last time we did a survey, it was just listener based, how we can make the show better for you. This is more like, hey, we want to know where the fan base is at. So share the link with other Mavs fans. We’re going to be pushing it out and yeah, we want a a big capture of how the fan base is feeling. Yep. So check that link in the description wherever you’re listening, watching this, or on socials, lockdown Mavs, and yeah, let us know what you think. All right, Isaac, we’re talking about breakout candidates. We talked about Cooper Flag, talked about Derrick Lively, the Mavs front court of the future right there. Who’s another name you think could break out? Oh crap, we’re doing breakouts. I was ready to do the bust. I think Brandon I think Brandon Williams could be a breakout candidate. Uh oh. Because let’s go be Will because breakout can mean a whole bunch of different things. And I think Brandon Williams was like had a little breakout moment last year where you go where two years ago I would have said yeah I don’t think he’s ready for the I don’t think he’s ready for the NBA. Just looked he looked too small. Didn’t look like it, you know, decision-m was there. The speed he wasn’t like his his he couldn’t keep up with like he was too fast for what he want what he was able to do in the NBA at that point. and you you’re like, he’s just not using his speed well enough. And then last year, you saw the Mavs had this giant demand for a ball handler scorer type guy. And Brandon Williams did step up and he he had some great moments where you just go, who is that? Like, who is that guy? You know what I mean? Like, you would have you’d have Mavs fans that would watch games, be like, who is this? Who is this guy? Like, where did he where did he come from? Because he looks so different and looks like uh he stands out among everybody else on the court that felt like they were moving in slow motion. And so I think Brandon Williams could break out from, you know, like fringe rotation player to becoming a rotation player because the Mavs do have a need. He could break out and like rise above the Dante Exom, the uh, you know, Caleb Martin, the like other guards that the Mavs are going to have at that spot. I don’t know what to do with Brandon Williams. I think they he’s one of the few guys that brings uh creation and can get into the paint and keep the ball moving. Um, play at a fast pace and all this stuff. Like I I wish that he had like a defined role, especially with Kyrie out, but like you could tell me that Brandon Williams play is the primary backup to DLO and plays a lot of minutes. Or you could tell me he’s not even in the rotation and it’s like DLO XM and they’re just like, you know, stuff like that. And he’s just kind of like, hey, whenever they need just another body to throw in, I just don’t know what to do with him. And it’s hard for me to like predict what he could be next year, right? Yeah. He could he could go either he could go either way. I think I think Brandon Williams is my last one. There’s like a really like a real like breakout candidate. Yeah. You know, Clay is a Hall of Famer already. I just think for for me Klay would be my next guy as far as like I think when you look at the expectations for him next year going into next year. I think he’s going to play above those and have I know he hasn’t been in Dallas for very long. His best season in Dallas. um season of two is still I think he’s going to have a a good year especially to start the year but you know what he’s going to put together a really good body yada yada yada yada of work this season okay god bless um for for bus is a little hard as far as like you know we’re going to um for you know you’re like hey which Mavs player is not gonna have a good year all this stuff um I’m going with this one I’m going with PJ only for for the sake of I think his role is it’s less about him and his talent and more about I I think his role could get awkward. Um, you know, there’s a we got to figure out what’s going to happen with the extension and all this stuff, but ever since he came into Dallas, they trade for him and it’s like, “Hey, Grant Williams didn’t work out. We’re going to try to, you know, add a pick and bring PJ in.” PJ steps in. He’s a starter. He’s playing the four. He’s played the three at times. He played really well. He’s had these big moments, the stand on business, the Clippers and OKC and all this stuff. And then, you know, and it’s like the fan base loves him. He’s I mean, he’s playing the best most efficient basketball of his career in my opinion. Um, and then Cooper flag happens and it’s like, all right, Cooper plays the exact same position for a team that is committed to the the double big lineup in which the four spot is Anthony Davis that you traded your superstar for and Luca Donuch. So, it’s like now it gets gets weird. It’s a it’s a contract year if he doesn’t sign him sign an extension. this guy who is excelling. He’s still in the best parts of his career and now there’s there is a case. We don’t know yet. We don’t know exactly. I think Clay starts and PJ comes off the bench, but it’s like there’s a case that PJ comes off, he goes from starting and potentially like, hey, if it is a contract year, making a ton of money next summer, uh, by being this like small ball four, hit threes and guard on the perimeter, all this stuff to coming off the bench with like a weird type of role and then they’re asking him at times like, “Are you going to play the two? Are you going playing the three? Do you ever get to play the small ball four spot?” So, it’s more for me about it just being an awkward role situation for PJ. I’m scared it could be that and we don’t get the same exact PJ we got a couple years ago because of that awkward role. I didn’t even think about PJ as a bus candidate because I think that he will close games. I think that this maps team will look at this roster and be like, we’ve just got to put Anthony Davis at the five to close games. We’ve just got to move him to the five. Bring PJ in. It’s PJ Flag Lively or Anthony Davis and that’s the front court that they close that they close games with. And so for that reason, my best candidate is Daniel Gaffford because I think that like I I think he gets forced out in in the same way that you think PJ will get forced forced out or like put in an awkward situation. I think Gaffford will get put in that that situation. It’s not about him. It’s not even about him as a player. By the way, he had an incred he got an incredible new tattoo. Have you seen this? You don’t you have will have no reference to this. What is it? A Demon Slayer tattoo, which is this this anime and it’s just Oh, absolutely awesome. Did you see Daniel Gaffford’s new tattoo? That’s what I just said. Daniel Gaffford. Oh, I thought you said PJ. My bad. No, Gaffford. Gaffford’s new tattoo. Is is Gaffford got Landlord on his fingers? He did. Yeah. Oh, yeah. He got Landlord on his fingers and then he got this Demon Slayer tattoo. That is That is sick. And it’s this moment, it’s this moment where this highlevel like warrior person sacrifices everything for the safety of these like young guys that he was training and like like like bringing bringing into this this world. And you you’re you just you realize the power level of these highlevel villains basically in this in this moment in this anime. Such a nerd in Demon Slayer. And I think Gaffford man to sacrifice himself for for what the Mavericks will really look like because he’s the demon slayer. AD Cooper flag PJ PJ Washington. I think that’s your that’s your lineup you close games with. And so I think that forces Gaffford in an awkward situation. And his contract is tradable for a reason, right? Like yeah, one of the reasons why why they signed it. I am I’m high on Gaffford working well with Anthony Davis, working well with with this team in all that. I think their role could be an issue there. Yeah. No, I I hear that. A small a small option I had was Max Christie. Um just how he ended the season, I wasn’t in love with it. Um just some of his game compared to when after the trade started, we got like our hopes up and stuff. I’m hoping this off seasonason was really well like went really well for him and um they need him to be that like point of attack defender guy and is you know there’s a world in which this 22year-old that could be like a piece for your team moving forward gets beat out by like Caleb Martin and Naji Marshall and stuff from the bench and then we’re looking at like is Max ever going to like play and all that. So, same thing with Brandon, like same story we just talked about with Brandon Williams. Could happen to Max Christie, too, where we don’t know who kid really wants to play at that next. I hope not. I hope Max has a role. I hope it’s Max Christie, but it could be Cayen Martin because I think he’s defensively better than what Max Christie is right now. Coming up, let’s talk about some other breakout candidates or bus candidates for the Mavericks. And then the West, there are some prime candidates to to really have a breakout season in the West. We’ll talk about them coming up. [Music] All right, Isaac, everybody, don’t forget to fill out the fan survey. If you’re a Mavericks fan, send it to your Mavericks fan friends. If you got a group chat where it’s like a bunch of Mavericks fans and you talk, you talk about stuff, send it to them, fill it out, and give us some answers and we’ll be talking about it all all next week and week after. And so do that. All right, Isaac, we talked about some we talked about some bus candidates for the Mavericks. I didn’t include injuries in any of this in any of the in any of the bus potential, but Anthony Davis Anthony Davis Kyrie I didn’t Yeah, I didn’t touch this. Lively played what 30 35 games 55 games the year before that. Like Caleb Martin had his injuries when he came over for the Mavericks that the Mavs got another pick for because they weren’t disclosed by the Sixers. Like you know, Gafford missed time last year. Like I feel like everybody missed time last year except for except Clay and Naji. Clay and Naji. Clay coming through, baby. But like I didn’t include injuries in that. And so I just wanted to clarify that for anybody that’s like, well, why don’t you talk about Anthony Davis could be a bust? It it would only be because of injuries to me for AD. Yeah. I didn’t I didn’t touch it either way because if he’s playing and he’s healthy, he’s going to be amazing. And it’s like how how do I judge a breakout thing for Anthony Davis? I think he’s he’s going to have a monster season if he’s healthy. So the breakout, but he’s had that before. So the breakout with AD could be with Mavs fans specifically, where they go, “Oh, this guy is he is like that.” Like he he is a top 10 player in the NBA or or even higher than that. I had him I think I had him 10th in or locked on top 100. I think I did too. Nine or 10. I just want I want him to be there’s so many reasons why I want him to play have a monster season and of course selfishly as a fan and content and all this stuff but also for him like it just it’d be such a bummer for him that is you know if he if he has another another injury riddled season he’s going to get flamed by this fan base and it’s not his you know fault and because he was the return of Luca and it’s like I just I I I would hate it so much for him if he had one of those type of season. I want him to have a big monster season for everybody, but for him, you know, in his career, this is completely left turn from what we were going to talk about, but I do I I but I think this is important. Do you think he got enough credit for putting it on the line last year? No. Because he I feel like he he was he was hurt. He was dealing with those injuries. He came back a little early for the Rockets game. He was dealing with that eye injury that we learned was was reportedly a detached retina. It wasn’t fully detached. He would have been he would have been blind, but some kind of eye issue too that he was dealing with and like he went out and put it on the line and fought through like played through those injuries. And I don’t think he got like a single ounce of credit from Mavericks fans. No, because it was all it was all about like look at the Nico and them are trying to save face. They they’re making him play and all this stuff. Like no one talked about how the Lakers gave up on AD. Like you know you had I don’t care how how much how how much friends he has over there with Rich Paul and LeBron and them like they still agreed to say like bye. So you know it wasn’t ideal. So he gets this new home who obviously believes in him enough to trade Aluca Donuch. And you know if he ever wants to prove a guy right, it’s proven Nico Harrison right for Anthony Davis. you know, he would love to prove Nico right. Uh I mean, they’ve been friends for a long time and just all the stuff. So, and a new fan base and yeah, I just I hope he has a monster season. I know. Like all like first team all defense, which is easier now because there’s it’s all it’s positionless and so he could easily make it. Yeah. Second team all NBA like stuff like that. I mean, Mavs top four, five seed and yeah, he’s back to in those conversations of top, you know, six, seven player and we we’re just talking about how great the Mavs front court is. I man, I’m I’m still I still just every time I look at the Mavs roster and look at their depth chart, I just go, man, I don’t know about these guards like like really being that good through the regular season. the creation part is the biggest concern and and for people who are down on the Mavs uh even in Mavs media sphere and stuff like even talking with you know Bobby a DLS I’m not saying he’s like down on but I was giving him heck the other day because he picked the under uh for for Mavs next season but he has the same concerns as you know anybody who talks about the Mavs have the same type of concerns it’s just a matter of and the concern is like the creation and do they have enough of that creation and playmaking uh right now without Kyrie for this good chunk of the season. And for some people it’s a bigger a bigger concern. Some people are like believe in DLO a little bit. Me I believe in a little bit probably more than in in DLO and what he could be this season. So that’s going to be the telling case outside of injuries. You can say health and injuries all day. Outside of injuries, it’s going to come down to do they have enough creation and play making to stay afloat until Kyrie comes back. It’s weird because you look at this rotation. One of the questions on the survey is, do you think this roster is basically like well constructed or deeply flawed or or just fine? And I’m really curious to see what Madavs fans think think about that because on one hand you look at it and you go, “Okay, they have these clear obvious strengths. Defensively, they’re going to be they’re going to be a monster team. They’ve got this star power with Anthony Davis, Cooper Flag. They’ve got, you know, clear skills that like every like everybody in their rotation is clearly has a skill. Naji with his floater, Max Christie with it, you know, his three-point shooting and his perimeter defense, Daniel Russell with his pick and roll play with, you know, shooting like all that kind of gaffard post play blocks, all that. Everybody’s a clear skill, but to maximize the the their their clear strength, which is defense, you’ve got to play Caleb Martin probably. You’ve got to play uh you’ve got to play Anthony Davis at the four. You’ve got to play Naji probably. And then but then to do that to do that on the other end, you’re really lacking in in creation and and offense to maxim to like try and make your offense good enough, you cut the teeth of your defense because you play D’Angelo Russell who’s maybe the worst defender on this roster right now because that’s how like this roster is so good defensively and maybe Klay Thompson who is solid defensively but is going to be 36 37 right and so you’re like all right they may have this back and forth where the roster you’ve just got to make these choices their offense defense substitutions at the end of games could be wild. Like three or like three players could switch. It’s like what is Yeah. So I I think we’re going to come down to, you know, once we get like a few months in the season, we’re going to come down to the decision Dallas made in the offseason of do we go the cheap route for the Kyrie replacement or do we actually give up assets? And the Mavericks al obviously believed in D’Angelo Russell enough to keep the assets to keep I mean we just make it super simple here. Would you rather have D’Angelo Russell and Daniel Gaffford or like Kai Jones and Kobe White and and without like and you don’t own another first round pick because you know let’s just like assume which is a big assumption you could have gotten Kobe White for like Daniel Gaffford a first round pick and like some other smaller piece or something or something and then it’s just like all right did they make did they did they make enough investment into that creation spot? Do they were they concerned enough to be willing to give up? I say Gaffford a lot because that’s the giving Gaffford the extension were kind of the third center on the team if you want to put AD and Lively one or two uh especially at the end of the games or something like that. So then it’s like, would you rather have invested that money and that contract with a pick to go get a guy like a Kobe White or even trying to get like a a Colin Ston or something like that that cost a little bit more money would take take something and they clearly didn’t think that they that this issue was that big of a concern to give up assets for it. They went the they probably got word early on that DLO was willing to come here for that, you know, price. Still like a minimum type of contract. A little bit more than minimum. So, are you are you suggesting that the Mavericks tampered? Oh, no, no, no. They talked right when the clock hit six uh that day. That’s when they first asked DL about it. You know, in that deal documentary, he like me like mentioned like that it was Dallas for the whole for like the whole time. I I just think that that decision right there is the decision that people will come back to. We’ll come back to it. If they’re struggling, let’s say they’re really struggling and it’s clear it’s like, man, they don’t have anybody can like the offense is like rough. This is looking like Orlando last year. It’s like you got these pieces, but they need people to like set them up and stuff. we’re going to go back to that decision, be like, “Yeah, they should have invested like given up some assets to get a little bit more uh, you know, I don’t know, a better player in that spot until Kyrie came back.” The insane part about that whole thing that you just said about this offense and the playmakers and all that, I think it legitimately swings on how good Cooper Flag is offensively his first year. I I I’m just not in the camp of like I think it’s really unfair to bank on Cooper flag being like the second that’s what that’s what they’re doing. I don’t know man. That’s what they’re that’s what they’re doing cuz you got AD is doing his thing. DLO’s going to do his thing and it’s going to be you know it’s going to take them up up a level. Like if you need a 100 if you need a 100 playmaking DL takes you to like 40 right? AD maybe takes you to like 60. Where’s the rest of that 40 coming from? And if Cooper Flag is is that guy like is is really good early on, it’ll fill that up to it’ll fill that up to 100. Okay. Okay. If you’re presenting like that where like he’s going to get the ball and say like, “Hey, go make some stuff happen.” All that. I’m more of like if you’re in the camp of, hey, Cooper’s going to be like the secondary ball handler, like backup point guard to DL type of thing. This is kind of what I just said. That’s the No, no. I think there’s difference of like, hey, they’ll run the offense through DLO and AD and then like Cooper’s going to be like that third guy that they’ll put the ball in his hands on the perimeter on the wing and say, hey, let’s run something. I I’m more concerned if it’s like, hey, DLO’s going to play off ball some possessions and Cooper’s bringing the ball up the floor and doing like running the offense as like a point guard type of guy at time like for a lot of possessions. That worries me. I don’t I’m not the biggest fan of that right now. Or if or if they play all of a sudden play lineups where it’s like Naji, Max Christie, Cooper Flag, PJ. Yeah. Lively and you go Cooper is the only guy on the front right now that you want handling the ball and driving and making plays like that. I just think that’s something that that’s something that comes in like year two or three something down the line a little bit to say right now Cooper flag you’re going to be playing like we like to make you uncomfortable I’m like oh okay I get it I get that to an extent that’s what Jason Kidd said his coach said that that that will happen his coach said that like we don’t know many things about what Jason kid thinks about this roster we do know that that he’s going to put the ball in his hands let’s also look at that first year Bucks team that Giannis had and see if they had a little bit more breathing room. What the expectations for that? Well, so the first Okay, so the first year Bucks team kid for Giannis kid didn’t coach and they were awful. Second year kid comes in, puts the ball in his hands, they’re they were a 500 team. This really young roster like Jabari uh Smith Jabari Parker, baby. Jabari Parker. Yeah, sorry. Him and Wiggins. Fill out the Mavs fan survey. The link is in the description. We’ll post it at locked on Mabs everywhere on socials. Appreciate you guys for checking out the show. Thanks for sticking with us all the way through the end. Love that about you guys. Thanks so much for listening to Locked on Mabs. We’ll be back tomorrow answering your questions. Peace out. Boom. Buzz.

The Dallas Mavericks are gearing up for a new era with Cooper Flagg and Anthony Davis leading the charge. Can the Mavs overcome their playmaking concerns and become a defensive powerhouse in the NBA?

Nick Angstadt and Isaac Harris discuss potential breakout candidates for the Mavs, including Cooper Flagg and Dereck Lively II. They analyze the roster construction, debate the impact of Kyrie Irving’s absence, and explore how players like Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, and D’Angelo Russell fit into the team’s plans. The hosts also touch on the challenges facing Anthony Davis and the expectations for the upcoming season.

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0:00 Cooper Flagg & Dereck Lively Breakout?
14:10 Brandon Williams’ Next Step?
16:36 Mavs Bust Candidates…
30:30 D’Angelo Russell vs Other Options

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