The Dallas Mavericks are starting over with one certainty and one big question mark. The certainty is Cooper Flaggcoming off a Rookie of the Year campaign. The question, meanwhile, is what he can become alongside Kyrie Irvingwho is ready to return after missing the entire 2025-26 season with a torn ACL.
It is a pairing that intrigues Dirk Nowitzki as well. The Mavericks legend, speaking with Marc Stein on The Stein Lineassessed the new-look Dallas team, coached by Dusty Maywhile making no secret of his optimism.
The coaching change will inevitably be one of the variables this season. New ideas, new dynamics and, above all, an offense that will have to find the best way to make Irving and Flagg work together.
Nowitzki: “Kyrie and Flagg can be dangerous”
According to Nowitzki, the starting point is naturally Irving’s recovery. The former Cavaliers and Celtics star is coming off a season with virtually no NBA basketball, but the first footage of his workouts has offered plenty of positive signs.
And that is where Dirk’s prediction becomes particularly interesting.
That does not automatically mean bringing Dallas back to the level of the team that reached the NBA Finals in 2024. The Western Conference remains extremely competitive, and the Mavericks are coming off a season with just 26 wins in 2025-26.
Still, when asked to make a prediction for next season, Nowitzki was willing to go out on a limb:
Much will also depend on the development of Cooper Flaggwho showed virtually everything during his first season and will inevitably have to raise the bar again.
For Nowitzki, there is one particular area where Flagg can improve: his three-point shooting.
Flagg has already shown that he can make an impact in transition, create mid-range shots, play in the post and operate in pick-and-roll situations. And even some early struggles with ball-handling and turnovers improved as the months went by.
For Dirk, then, the picture is fairly clear: Flagg already has the tools to become a complete player on both ends of the floor. If he takes another step as a shooter, his game could open up even further.
Dallas, then, is starting over with plenty of question marks but also two big reasons to be intrigued. Flagg has already shown that he can be the future of the Mavericks, while Irving has to prove he can return to his old form. If those two pieces fit together, the “dangerous combo” Nowitzki talks about could become something more than just an intriguing possibility.
-
Former India Cricketer S. Sreesanth's Father Passes Away At 89
-
Ex-CM Harish Rawat Quits Congress Posts After ED Raids Aide’s House, Says ‘Cong Runs In My Blood’
-
Amaal Mallik blasts at Salman Khan’s team: You guys screwed up
-
Chicago Fire's Robert Lewandowski wins Goal of the Matchday
-
Adrien Truffert’s position on a Manchester United transfer comes to light as Red Devils prepare move for £60 million-rated star
