Jason Kidd wants Cooper Flagg at point guard: 'Want to make him uncomfortable'
The Cooper Flagg era in Dallas is officially underway, as the No. 1 overall pick from the 2025 NBA Draft was introduced on Friday, June 27.
In that introductory news conference, Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd didn't hold back his intentions for Flagg, including throwing him into a position in the NBA summer league that he doesn't have a ton of experience at: point guard.
"I don't look at the position. I want to put him at point guard. I want to make him uncomfortable and see how he reacts (to) being able to run the show," Kidd said.
Kidd went on to say that Flagg will also play the 2 and the 3 with the Mavericks, two positions that he played at Duke and is "comfortable in."
"We want to push," Kidd said. "And I think he's going to respond in a positive way. It's all right to fail. It's all right to turn the ball over. We've talked about that.
"Just understanding the guys that I've been around that have been young from Giannis (Antetokounmpo) giving him the ball and he failed, but he wanted to come back and have the ball. I'm excited to give him the ball against the Lakers (in the summer league) and see what happens."
Though Flagg was never listed at point guard for Duke or played it, the Naismith Player of the Year did bring up the ball at times for the Blue Devils – on top of showcasing other skillsets a point guard has while never playing the position. In 37 games last season, Flagg led all Duke players with 4.2 assists per game.
Being selected No. 1 overall by the Mavericks, Flagg will receive a four-year NBA rookie contract with a total estimated value of $62.7 million, according to Spotrac. Noted by the Fayetteville Observer, part of the USA TODAY Network, Flagg's four-year contract is only guaranteed for the first two years under the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement as Years 3 and 4 of the contract are team options.
Flagg is set to begin his NBA career with Dallas in the NBA 2K26 Summer League on Thursday, July 10 at 8 p.m. ET against the Los Angeles Lakers and Bronny James.
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