Even after Dante Exum is officially re-signed, many Mavericks fans still want the team to trade for another guard, and they can't even be blamed, necessarily, with Dallas poised to have to trade one or two of their players to condense their roster down to 15 players before training camp ends. However, perhaps that move could be more of a salary dump instead of Dallas having to sacrifice anything substantial to bring in more backcourt help, as the ascension of Cooper Flagg as a playmaker and shot creator could very well override Dallas' need to keep bringing in more guards.
Flagg's playmaking could transcend Dallas' need for another guard
While Flagg had some of the most talent around him in all of college basketball while at Duke University last season, he impressed heavily with his drive-and-kick ability as well as his ability to facilitate in the short roll. Flagg averaged 4.2 assists per game last season, and it wouldn't be surprising if that number breaches over 5.0 at the NBA level, as the NBA game has more spacing compared to the college game and is eight minutes longer overall.
There are certainly aspects of Flagg's game that could take some time to fully come around, most notably when it comes to his 3-point shooting, but Mavericks fans saw from his brief time in Las Vegas that Flagg is a solid ball mover and uses his size well to find defenders when he gets trapped or doubled, which are traits that should carry over to the NBA game from day one.
Flagg's ability in the short roll is what should have Mavericks fans the most excited, though, as Flagg has the athleticism and length to attack from that position unlike most other players, and he has great touch on his lob passes which should bode extremely well for all of Dallas' bigs that will be probing in the dunker spot in those scenarios.
Flagg is going to have to polish his jump shooting in the midrange and from outside if he ever wants to become a dynamic shot creator one day, which is certainly achievable given his intangibles and work ethic, but his best day-one attribute for the Mavericks offensively could quietly be his passing and playmaking.
By no means does Flagg have Luka Doncic-esque vision or anything of the sort, but his playmaking in aggregate with Dallas' other playmakers could be enough to right the ship until Irving returns, as many fans could be neglecting this part of Flagg's game because of how easy it is to focus on his show-stopping athleticism in transition and as a defender.
