At the beginning of the season, the Dallas Mavericks will be without Kyrie Irving.
Cooper Flagg might be asked to fill in for him in a unique capacity.
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While the Dallas Mavericks’ 2024–25 season was disappointing due to a number of unanticipated obstacles, the team is now optimistic about the future.
Major enthusiasm has ensued with the arrival of Cooper Flagg as the first overall pick in the NBA Draft, but the squad is well aware that it will have a formidable challenge when the new season begins: playing without Kyrie Irving
Due to his ongoing recovery from a knee injury that occurred earlier this year—which required ACL surgery—the 33-year-old point guard will miss the first several months of the season.
The loss of Kyrie Irving is devastating, but the Lakers’ new coach, Jason Kidd, seems to have a strategy.
Cooper Flagg, a former Duke star who normally played point guard in high school and college, appears to be Kidd’s proposed short-term replacement for Irving, despite the fact that this is not Flagg’s usual position.
When asked about the possibility, Flagg expressed enthusiasm. “I’m looking forward to it,” he said Tuesday, according to reporter Mike Curtis on his official X account. “I think it’s something I can do at a high level so I’m excited to just experiment and do some new things.”
Cooper later spoke about how, even if the position isn’t his natural one, it’s part of his skill set thanks to experience gained during his season at Duke. “Coach (Jonathan) Scheyer trusted me a lot last year and I handled it a lot. I didn’t bring it up a ton, but in the halfcourt I handled it a lot and set up a lot of different actions,” Flagg explained.
Dallas’ options to replace Irving
It’s clear that by early 2026—when Kyrie Irving is expected to be fully recovered from knee surgery and ready to return to the court—he’ll resume his role as the creative engine of the Mavericks.
But by that point, at least two full months of NBA action will have passed, during which the team will need reliable solutions.
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