Rookie Cooper Flagg has been made to play a lot of point guard by Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd. It is an idea that even the bench tactician's son disagrees with.
Kidd, coaching the Mavericks now for a fifth year, has experimented with this year's top overall pick manning the floor general spot in the continued absence of their main playmaker, Kyrie Irving , because of a knee injury.
The move has not panned out yet as hoped, and Kidd has drawn a lot of flak for it from many observers, including his eldest son, Trey Jason.
TJ posted a video on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday, where he shared the confusion he has over his father's decision to continue playing Flagg as point guard and expressed sympathy for the former Duke star in the tough situation he is currently in.
"Yeah, no, I don't know why he's playing at the point guard. That doesn't make any sense to me, he's not a point guard, I know that," TJ said .
"I think that he's a great basketball player and has an incredible future ahead of him and all that stuff. I wish him nothing but the best down there in Dallas, but yeah, no I don't get it. I don't get the decision-making of any of it, but you gotta just control what you can control. Hang in there, buddy, hopefully it will get better down there," he added.
While Flagg has a solid two-way game, his natural position is forward and not the primary playmaker. To his credit, he has been trying his best, posting averages to date of 15.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals.
Unfortunately for the Mavericks , while their young star has been doing his fair share to contribute to their cause, the team's overall offense has struggled with Flagg at point.
Dallas has the worst offense in the league heading into Wednesday's schedule, with 107.2 points per game. It also has the third-worst assist average of 23.9 dimes, 26th in assist ratio and 22nd in turnover percentage, indicating a team struggling with its ball movement.
The poor numbers have been huge factors in pushing the Mavericks to the bottom of the standings early in their campaign with a 3-9 record.
The setup to have Flagg play point guard has many believing that the 18-year-old Maine native's ability to contribute more is being limited.
Among them is four-time NBA champion Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors , who asserted that a lot is being asked of Flagg this early in his professional journey.
"He's a rookie, right? He doesn't really know the NBA game. He's just now learning the NBA game," Green shared on his podcast. "It's not that I don't think Cooper Flagg 's going to be great. I think Cooper Flagg's going to be incredible. But we're asking a rookie, who's not a point guard, to be a great point guard. And that's just not how this works."
Given that the desired results have not been forthcoming when playing Flagg at point guard, it may serve the Mavericks well to reconsider their strategy.
Recently, Kidd has seemingly warmed to the suggestion made by his son and others to ease up on Flagg being the primary facilitator. He has been using guards D'Angelo Russell, who the team brought in to make up for Irving's absence, Max Christie and Brandon Williams , and playing Flagg more at his natural position.
While Dallas continues to seek steady success, it is still a welcome development in bringing out the best in its personnel and enhancing its campaign.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Nov 13, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
