Flag - Becoming a member of the Mavericks is a blessing, playing against the Lakers for the first time

Cooper Flagg called being the rare Mavericks No. 1 pick is a "blessing". He did not rebuild the core of the team, but entered the Dallas Mavericks' roster, whose teammates included some future Hall of Fame members.

Hopefully being a sponge, it's exciting to play with the future 3 Hall of Famers players "A lot of people in this position or in this situation aren't getting this opportunity, so I'm just very lucky and grateful for what I've got," Flag said at an introductory press conference at the Mavericks Training Facility on Friday. "I'm just looking forward to being a sponge. Just now I'm excited to learn, immerse myself in it, and learn from those older and who have experienced it before.

" Those guys are very knowledgeable. They have gone through so much and they have such a wealth of experience, which will be an incredible opportunity for me to learn and grow under them.

The 18-year-old Flag’s new teammates include Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson trio, who have played in a total of 24 All-Star games and six NBA championships. Future Hall of Fame player

Forgot Doncic, embrace Flag

Dallas was eliminated 39-43 in the final playoff game of the Western Conference and entered the draft draw. The Mavericks are particularly lucky, and despite the probability of only 1.8%, they won the first pick. So, after leading Duke to the Final Four in his only college season, Flag will begin his NBA career on a team eager to compete immediately, although Irving may miss the first half of the season while recovering from a tear of the ACL. The Mavericks' last high pick is Doncic

"We're in a win mode, so he added that, but he's also the future of the team," said Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison. The 6-foot-8 and 220-pound Flag is considered one of the most all-around potential players in recent years, leading Duke in scoring (19.2 points per game), rebounding (7.5), assists (4.2), steals (1.4) and blocks (1.4) and earning several national Player of the Year honors. His ability to influence the game in such a wide range of ways provides coach Jason Kidd with a lot of roster flexibility.

"From the list, we can play a really good positionless basketball brand with a lot of guys who can do a lot of different things," Flag said. "So I think that will be one of the biggest advantages. Just try to play this and do my best to help the team win.

Kidd thinks Flag is a winner, willing to give him the ball

Kidd first describes Flag as "a basketball player" and "a winner." But Kidd does think of Flag's starting with a special position: point guard, at least for the Las Vegas Summer League that started July 10, the Mavericks will play against the Los Angeles Lakers in the opener.

As the coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, Kidd took a similar approach to Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was 19 years old and entering his second season. That pushed Antetokounmpo to be a perennial All-Star and two-time season. MVP.

"I want to make him uncomfortable and see how he reacts to being able to host the game, being able to play the second, third," Kidd said of Flag. "He played comfortably, but we wanted to push forward and I think he would respond in a positive way. "It doesn't matter if you fail, it doesn't matter if you turn the ball over. We've already discussed it. Just know the young players around me - starting with Giannis, giving him the ball, he failed, but he wants to come back and get the ball.

" So I'm so happy to give [Frager] the ball in the opener against the Lakers and see what happens. Let's start right away. But I think it's just his calmness - he will succeed for a long time.

Mavericks: After taking over Doncic and taking over Nowitzki

Flag arrived in Dallas, the Mavericks fans were revitalized and angry and frustrated that Luca Doncic, who was selected for the five-time NBA first-team in February, traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Doncic took the metaphorical torch from Hall of Fame member Dirk Nowitzki and became the spokesperson for the team. This responsibility now belongs to Flag, although it is not his main concern.

"I'm here just to learn and trying to get better every day," Flag said. “If I could do this as much as I could, I think the expectations and pressures that other people have for me and our team would be solved naturally.” So I just wanted to come in and be the best self and win at the highest level.