Cooper Flag has officially joined the Dallas Mavericks, but questions about his best position continue to generate debate.
The versatility of the 18-year-old rookie created multiple viable options for his role. Jason Kidd recently announced plans to use Flag as his point guard.
Many believe that the young star is superior as a similar point forward to the legendary Grant Hill during his prime year.
Most analysts expect Cooper Flag to play in a small, positive way. It especially takes into account that Dallas has established big men such as Anthony Davis, Daniel Gaford and Derek Lively II.
Guardronzoball of the Cleveland Cavaliers offers a different perspective on the future of rookies. The ball thinks Power Forward represents the flag’s best position in the modern NBA landscape. His reasoning focuses on the benefits of matchups and the evolving tactical trends of the league.
“In today’s NBA, I play him with four people. (Three Coopers) It depends. It’s all a matchup. Like the person they’re playing against,” Ball explained.
The ball remains open to Dallas using multiple big men along with the flag, but he particularly prefers a lineup featuring one traditional center.
“If I play him with the three of us, then Gafford and liveliness, then with Davis, it would be better for us to get all the rebounds.
“But if I want to play a little ball, I’ll push him into four. Put the ads on five,” Ball added.
Ball’s vision coincides with recent trends in the NBA Championship. Last season, many successful teams accepted a small ball lineup that included the champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
In the final, manager Mark Daigenault preferred to start Casson Wallace over Isaiah Hartenstein with Chet Holmglen, even against Pascal Siakam and Miles Turner’s Indiana Pacers frontcourt.
The Golden State Warriors also built a dynasty around a small ball concept with the Draymond Green Play Center.
When Mavericks implements Ball’s FLAGG fourth-place strategy, they face an interesting roster decision.
Teams will need to cut down on Gafford and Lively’s minutes while potentially starting players like Naji Marshall and PJ Washington.
| position | player |
| Point Guard | Kyrie Irving |
| Shooting Guard | Clay Thompson |
| A small front | PJ Washington |
| Power Forward | Cooper Flag |
| center | Anthony Davis |
This tactical change could potentially maximize the impact of the flag, particularly along with his partner Anthony Davis, while creating nightmares of opponent matchups.
The combination of rookie size, skill and basketball IQ makes him uniquely suited to the modern power forward role the ball envisions.