Jason Kidd seems pretty excited about the player the Dallas Mavericks may select in next month’s NBA draft.
The Mavericks head coach hasn’t referred to Cooper Flagg by name, but he has offered plenty of praise for the “young man from Duke” when asked about the draft in recent weeks. Kidd had another chance to discuss Flagg during his Tuesday appearance on Sportsradio 96.7 FM/1310 The Ticket (KTCK-AM).
“When you talk about [how] he’s 18 years old and won’t turn 19 until December, it’s just amazing, his maturity,” Kidd said. “You look at both sides of the floor. Defensively, he’s not afraid to guard and then on the offensive end, his ability to shoot and also be able to play off the dribble. When you talk about 6-8, 6-9, to be able to do that, it becomes exciting as a coach but I think it becomes exciting as a teammate.”
Flagg is projected to go No. 1 overall when the NBA draft takes place on June 25. The Mavericks could get a boost from adding Flagg to their roster as they continue to navigate the post-Luka Doncic era.
The Mavericks notably had a 1.8% chance of drawing the draft’s No. 1 pick, shocking many when they won the lottery on May 12. Kidd said he’s excited about the prospect of adding a weapon like Flagg to the team’s current roster.
“I think to be able to add a piece like that with [Anthony Davis], Klay [Thompson], when you talk about [Kyrie Irving] and then our two young centers, when you look at [Dereck Lively II] and [Daniel Gafford], I think we’re really excited to have this opportunity to add a piece like this,” Kidd said. “The young man who we will have the opportunity to draft at No. 1 will be able to play right away and help us.”
Listen to the rest of Kidd’s appearance on The Ticket here.
Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.