Building Around Cooper: A Backward-Looking Thought Experiment

[Winter]

In the simplest terms, I just think Flagg needs to touch the ball on offense.

But does he need to initiate the offense as a primary ball handler? What was Kidd's plan? I don't recall Flagg ever positioning himself as a front line player. He started almost everything in the back court.

I think all this is meaningful, but we don't know what the new coach will draw up. Do we need a true PG? Do we see Flagg and Kyrie in the backcourt when the season starts? If I'm Ujiri and I am interviewing coaches for the Mavs head coach, I'm asking these questions in the interview.

But it some ways, this is backward. We would prefer to have a head coach in place before the draft - not afterwards. I'm guessing that won't happen. Because of this, I'm not sure we should be confident in any PG selection. Last season was setup in a very non-traditional way. A PG selection would force a very traditional type of player into the lineup.

Of course, a PG may simply be the best player available to the Mavs at #9. All of this seems pretty unusual going into this draft. We have no head coach, no set offense, and flexible players that can be moved around the court in non-traditional ways.

I would have liked to have known Kidd's plan for this year. Fortunately, we have a seasoned FO that has a history of seeing talent, so that's good. But they alone will be making a decision at #9 that should tell us something about their vision for Flagg.