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“Giving Him Any Little Detail” - Dallas Mavericks Center on Helping Cooper Flagg in His Rookie Year 127 Jun 27, 2025; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison (left) looks on with Mavericks first overall pick Cooper Flagg (right) at a press conference at the Dallas Mavericks Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

'Giving Him Any Little Detail' – Dallas Mavericks Center on Helping Cooper Flagg in His Rookie Year

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Reign Amurao | Last updated Aug 5, 2025 10:18 AM ET

Despite losing Luka Doncic last season, the Dallas Mavericks still got an amazing prospect in Cooper Flagg. The Mavericks were rewarded with the No. 1 pick, and they used it to draft Flagg from Duke University. He was the top pick, given his upside and how he performed in his lone college season. The 6-foot-9 forward is regarded by many as a future star, but his Dallas teammates understand that he needs direction.

Being in the NBA has never been easy, even for stars who are destined to be the face of a franchise. A generational talent was traded out of nowhere last season. This shows how unpredictable the professional league is.

Like Doncic, Flagg is expected to be the face of the Dallas franchise. Going from a freshman to an experienced player won’t be a simple step, even for someone who was considered a superstar in college. Fortunately for the young forward, his veteran teammates are there to guide him in the NBA.

During an interview with Christian Clark of The Athletic on Sunday, Mavericks center Dereck Lively II was asked about Flagg.

“We welcome in Coop with open arms,” Lively II said. “I called him earlier today. He is always having a smile on his face or is cracking a joke. I’m making sure that he is feeling as comfortable as possible, giving him any little detail or any little thing to get him by, because whenever I was in his position, I remember how frightened I was, and I was only 19. He is 18.”

Flagg will get help from Lively, someone who has known him for at least three years, given their association with Duke.

“He has just been the same, smiling, cracking-joke kid as I’ve always known,” he added. “I’m glad that he has been able to still be a person and not having too much of the spotlight rain on him. No matter if he is in the gym or coming by the house, he always just has a smile on his face and is being Coop.”

Dallas Mavericks CEO has no regrets about the Dallas Mavericks trading away Doncic

Apr 9, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) hugs Mark Cuban after the game against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

During an interview with Bloomberg TV, Dallas Mavericks CEO Rick Welts revealed his thoughts on the Doncic trade.

“You can’t have fear or regrets in this business,” Welts said. ““It’s all about how you move forward, so it doesn’t really serve a purpose to have regrets. What I will say is I learned about the depth of the connection between Mavericks fans and this team, and that to me is half glass full because I knew we could restore that over time.”

The fans of the organization have expressed their disappointment in their decision to trade away a player like Doncic. However, they can’t do anything about it anymore.

“Giving Him Any Little Detail” - Dallas Mavericks Center on Helping Cooper Flagg in His Rookie Year 129 Feb 25, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts with Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) during the first quarter at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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