Dirk Nowitzki's advice for star Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg

"There’s so much knowledge there that he can tap into and learn from. Ask questions. How are their pregame routines? What do they eat? How do they prepare for events? What do they do with appearances? How do they interact with the media?

"...I think that’ll be my advice. Learn as much as you can. Soak it all up and eventually use it and find your own routine. Find your own way of leading. I don’t think there’s just one way to do it. I think a team can see through some stuff if they think, ‘This is not him.’ or ‘This is fake.’ You want to be as natural as possible and be yourself and find your own way of leading.

"But at the beginning, it’s all about learning and keeping your eyes and ears open. There will be some tough times. It’s not an easy transition. It’s the best league in the world. Work through the kinks and go from there."

Cooper Flagg's Fit With Mavericks Isn't Crystal Clear

There are some obvious question marks about Flagg's fit with the Mavericks. Jason Kidd wants him to be a playmaker and lead initiator until Kyrie Irving returns, and he may not be ready for that from the first day. There will be some kinks to work out, as Nowitzki said.

The three-point shot for Flagg has to be better developed, and he may have a tough time as an on-ball defender early in his career against smaller guards, but there isn't an obvious point-of-attack defender on this roster for the main rotation.