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[Mavs2021]

@MavsFilmRoom
Marc Stein on the DLLS Mavs Podcast says that “rumbles” are that Cooper Flagg is excited that he’s being drafted to a team that isn’t a bottom feeder and is one that can be competitive.

Well a lot will depend on the guard situation. We all know Washington, Marshall, Thompson and Hardy do not have great handles under pressure. So now you rely on Dinwiddie to bring the ball up the floor, which he will interpret as a licence to shoot or on Williams, who has played about 1 1/2 meaningful NBA games in his life. Nobody knows how he´ll react, when teams with their starters actually scout for his weaknesses. 

Not likely the team will be bad, since I think you can still be good-ish with crap guards, if you have arguably the best frontcourt in the whole league with Flagg/Marshall/Thompson/AD/Washington/Gafford/Lively.

My guess is that they´ll just get one veteran like a Westbrook and then just take a wait and see approach. Does AD get hurt again? How good is Flagg right away? How is Irving progressing? Where are they at the trade deadline record-wise? Better strategy to tank and trade AD or better to acquire an additional guard and compete for the title. That´s probably how I´d play it. 

Nevertheless I´d still try to get a pick mid/late 1st and draft Denim or Traore, if they fall. The Traore one is so weird. He owned the 2024 Adidas EuroCamp, top scorer and 5th in assists. Played very well in the Nike Hoops Summit. Now he´s behind all the PGs from that tournament like Denim and Jakucionis, cause they went through the easier college route, instead of playing PG against adults at age 18. What are these scouts even doing? Presti is probably all giddey already sitting there with his 15th pick.