From the beginning, the theoretical pairing of All-Star level center, Anthony Davis, at the five and dynamic downhill monster and rookie, Cooper Flagg at the four, was an exciting thought for many a basketball minds.
What these two could accomplish together, if – again theoretically – they were put in their natural positions and managed to stay on the floor long enough to establish a real connection, was quite a fun thought experiment.
Well, it also took some experimentation from the coaching staff,
along with the old injury bug preventing the fun, but finally the last few weeks, we’ve had a little taste of what that could look like. And boy, it has been very fun.
If we ignore the fact that a potential trade soon may cut the fun short and just focus on the now – if this frontcourt gets minutes enough together, things start looking really great in Dallas.
Last week, we saw a glimpse of what this duo may become if their connection is allowed to flourish in one of the most impressive possessions this season yet.
Started by an ingenious defensive move by Brandon Williams, it was closed in a fashion that made this AD-Flagg believer shed a little tear. As Flagg drives to the basket in transition, he drops it to Davis for an easy two. That’s what good transition play looks like. Simple as it sounds, it’s not simple, it shows the potential path to a clear and real way to win games – hence opening up more ways the Mavericks roster could work.
And since Davis returned to the starting lineup late last month, the Dallas Mavericks went on a win streak, winning four out of the last five games.
From his return on 28. November, the connection between Flagg and Davis has clearly grown. That has resulted in plays like this, showing great timing and the beautiful flow of two highly intelligent basketball players in the key:
When you look closely, Davis has made an effort to just keep passing the ball to the rookie, showing both trust and confidence in him:
When Flagg and Davis play their natural positions, something special happens. We see this often when two great players get together, and in Dallas we’ve had the pleasure of watching it develop in front of our eyes recently with Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic.
With Davis on the five and Flagg on the four, space opens up and allows more downhill play and drive-and-kicks to shooters. This has proven very efficient, and despite it being a small sample size, data supports it.
Defensively, both are obviously elite as well, and when Flagg acts as a weak side help defender, rim protection is not a concern anymore.
But, alas, this may all be a pipe dream, a story of potential greatness we will tell ourselves and each other until the end of time. Unfortunately, we are called back to reality at some point, where rumors of trading Davis are getting louder – and if that doesn’t throw a wrench in the machine, then the inevitable injuries will. Davis will not stay healthy all season, this much we know, and Flagg and the rest of the hardworking roster of the Dallas Mavericks will keep fighting. If not for the glory, then for the honor.
But, just for a little bit, just for now when it’s actually working and happening, let’s enjoy the dream of the Dallas frontcourt duo and their great connection. We can’t alter the past and we don’t have control of the future, so why don’t we just enjoy the present.
