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Mavericks' Jason Kidd Offers Unconvetional Solution to Point Guard Issue

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nathan Karseno | Last updated Jun 27, 2025 5:48 PM ET

First overall draft pick Cooper Flagg was officially introduced as a member of the Dallas Mavericks in a press conference alongside general manager Nico Harrison and head coach Jason Kidd on Friday.

Flagg represents a golden opportunity for the Mavericks to get back to their winning ways after a disaster of a 2024-25 season that was cursed by a franchise-altering trade and a collection of major injuries.

One of those incidents occurred when superstar point guard Kyrie Irving tore his ACL in March. From that point on, the Mavericks struggled to stay above water and would ultimately finish 10th in the Western Conference and be eliminated in their first Play-In tournament game.

Flagg immediately boosts the team's chances of winning this upcoming season, but the floor general Irving is expected to be sidelined for at least the first few months of the season, opening a void at the lead guard position.

In the meantime, Dallas is in pursuit of a stop-gap replacement to run the offense ... but in Flagg's press conference, Kidd made some eyebrow-raising comments about his plans for the rookie phenom.

“He's a basketball player and he's a winner. I don’t look at the position,” Kidd said, adding to Flagg's comments about impacting winning any way he can.

“I want to put him at point guard. I want to make him uncomfortable. … I’m excited to give him the ball against the Lakers and see what happens.”

Jason Kidd on Cooper Flagg's position on the Mavs:

"I don't look at the position. I want to put him at point guard. I want to make him uncomfortable.

"... I'm excited to give him the ball against the Lakers and see what happens."pic.twitter.com/vIsmMRljSV
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) June 27, 2025

Flagg and the Mavericks play their first Summer League game in Las Vegas on July 10 against the Los Angeles Lakers at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Not only will it be our first glimpses of Flagg in a Mavs uniform, but we could get a first-hand look at him running the show as a 6-9 point guard.

In his historic freshman season at Duke, Flagg showed many flashes of playmaking and high basketball IQ, which must have been enough perceived potential that the Hall of Fame point guard Kidd cannot pass up on. The Naismith National Player of the Year averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists along with nearly 1.5 steals and blocks per game.

Harrison and the Mavericks front office are still expected to search for a veteran facilitator in free agency with the taxpayer mid-level exception of over $5 million in cap room, but this idea of Flagg immediately running the offense is enough to thoroughly excite Mavs fans everywhere.

A potential lineup of Flagg, Klay Thompson, PJ Washington, Anthony Davis, and Dereck Lively II would offer unmatched length and versatility on both ends of the floor.

Cooper - born in December 2006 - was asked at the press conference about what he knows about his head coach's 19-year NBA career as one of the game's best point guards.

After a nervous smirk, Kidd jumped in: "It was in black and white, so [Flagg] definitely didn't see it."

"I didn't get to watch it a ton," Flagg admitted jokingly. "I'm going to have to freshen up, you know, do my research ... Everybody talks about how legendary a player he was, so I think I'll have to watch some more and figure that out. He was a killer, so."

With the prospect of him running the point, Flagg can learn a lot about the position from his head coach.

Not only in their conversations this year, but also ... on YouTube.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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