Jason Kidd’s decision to start Cooper Flagg at the point guard position generated criticism from a well-known former NBA star and prominent members of the basketball community. After acquiring Flagg with the first pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, the Mavericks have begun the 2025-2026 season with championship aspirations. However, their blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs at home has left the fan base stunned.
DeMarcus Cousins is a former star and is widely regarded as one of the top centers of the past few decades. Although Cousins is no longer in the league, he remains associated with NBA activities. After the Mavericks’ shocking 92-125 loss to the Spurs, Cousins weighed in on Flagg’s position with the team and the ongoing era of positionless basketball.
Can the Dallas Mavericks Win With Cooper Flagg Playing the Point Guard Position?
Heading into the league as one of the most talented young prospects in the country, Flagg displayed his all-around abilities in terms of scoring, rebounding, and facilitating during his time with the Duke Blue Devils. Although fans may have presumed that his skills would translate to the NBA instantly, Flagg’s debut performance indicates otherwise.
In the Mavericks’ loss to the Spurs, Flagg recorded a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds but failed to generate a single assist for the team. Since he was entrusted with bringing the ball up the court and facilitating the offense several times, his inability to do the same, statistically speaking, is a cause for concern.
Although the modern NBA encourages a positionless style of basketball in which stars can do it all regardless of their technical position on the court, Cousins opined that the Mavericks should reconsider their current strategy.
“They’re not putting the young fella in a position to be successful. He’s not a point guard! That’s not something that you can just wake up and go do it. Being a point guard comes with real responsibility. It’s being the floor general. You’re the second coach…That’s just not realistic and it’s not helping this kid…”
Boogie Cousins says “there’s no excuse” for the Mavs playing Cooper Flagg at point guard 🗣️
“We’ve seen plenty examples of how positionless basketball doesn’t work. … He’s not a point guard.”@MichelleDBeadle | @boogiecousins | @ChandlerParsons | @TeamLou23 pic.twitter.com/t8rJQWGcp4
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) October 23, 2025
Cousins certainly made a valid point, and other former NBA stars such as Chandler Parsons and Lou Williams agreed with him. Flagg has no real experience playing the point guard position, and expecting him to do so at an NBA level could be considered unfair.
Since Kyrie Irving is expected to miss the majority of this season, if not all of it, Kidd is free to experiment with the stars on his roster and put various lineups on the court. Their loss against the Spurs might just be enough to convince him to give other experienced players on the roster, such as D’Angelo Russell, more responsibility in the upcoming games.
In any case, judging Flagg’s abilities based solely on his debut performance might be viewed as unfair. Fans are left wondering how he will perform in the Mavericks’ next games against the Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors.
