A year ago, the Dallas Mavericks were one of the NBA’s feel-good stories, fresh off an NBA Finals run, armed with a young superstar in Luka Doncic and a reenergized Kyrie Irving. Today, that story has taken a grim detour. Doncic is gone, traded to the Lakers in a shocking midseason deal. Kyrie tore his ACL weeks later. The team barely made the play-in and got bounced quickly. But somehow, they won the draft lottery and selected Cooper Flagg, the most hyped prospect since Zion.

Now, Flagg is here. The face of the post-Luka era. But instead of entering a stable, developmental situation, he’s walking into a messy experiment, and carrying the weight of a franchise that’s lost its way. Inside league circles, there’s growing skepticism. “They’re going to use Cooper Flagg a lot, I think, to try to create and be more on ball. And I’m scared by that,” said Mo Dakhil. “He looks more like ‘I’m ready to attack on the second side’ than being a guy that can initiate the offense.”

Flagg dominated in college. He flashed his talent in the Summer League. But at 18, the ask is huge. It’s a burden most rookies aren’t ready for. “Well, we saw how efficient he was at Summer League. Like, it was a struggle scoring in isolation. It just was for him,” said Kevin O’Connor on The Kevin O’Connor Show. “That’s not a knock… but you can’t put too much on his plate and expect winning results as a rookie.” That’s exactly what Dallas is doing.

Mo Dakhil doubled down, “You’re expecting him to be a playmaker for the team is kind of where I’m concerned… Obviously it gets better once they have Kyrie back… but I look at it going like, man, it’s tough. I can’t get excited if you’re bringing D’Angelo Russell out as your starter.”

There’s talent, sure. Flagg’s college stats at Duke fuel the hype with 19.2 points per game, 38.5% from three. In his final game, he scored 27 points at 75% from deep. Summer League showed promise with 20.5 points, five rebounds, and 2.5 assists average; in Game 1 featured 10 points and four assists, including a notable lob to Moussa Cisse.

Analysts like Grant Hughes from Bleacher Report peg Flagg as the Mavs’ top player by 2028, surpassing aging stars like Davis and Irving. Noah Webber of Smoking Cuban predicts Flagg starts alongside Davis, Klay Thompson, Dereck Lively II, and D’Angelo Russell. Jason Kidd envisions him as a point forward, akin to Grant Hill, leveraging passing skills honed in college and Summer League.

But with Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, PJ Washington, and Lively, the fit seems questionable, while the direction is murky. “To me, if I put them in a tier, it’d be Wanderers,” O’Connor added. “They are very, very, very much wandering right now, figuring out who they are.”

Right now, Flagg is the one being asked to lead them. “It’s a weird landing spot,” Dakhil said. “There’s not a lot of room for error because this team’s trying to win.” Last season ended 39-43, with a 7-14 slide sans Irving, who tore his ACL March 3 against Sacramento.

Flagg’s development might suffer because of that. He needs reps, mistakes, and patience. What he’s getting instead is pressure, expectations, and a team that doesn’t know what it is. “I think it’s going to get uglier,” O’Connor said flatly.

“My gut feeling when the Mavericks won the lottery and Cooper Flagg was going to Dallas—my first instinct was like, ‘Wow, this sucks for him.’” There’s no roadmap here. Just a franchise spiraling since the Luka trade, and a rookie with a heavy crown before he’s played a meaningful game.

Still no timeline on Kyrie Irving 

Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving, the only true lead guard on the roster, is still silent about his ACL recovery timeline. In March, an ACL tear and surgery sidelined him post-March 26, derailing a 32-29 Mavs squad. Initial timelines eyed January 2026 return, but recent comments offer vague positivity without specifics.

In a TMZ interview during New York Fashion Week, the interviewer asked: “So Kyrie, we wanted an update. How is healing going?” Irving replied: “Incredibly well. I appreciate you asking me.” Follow-up: “Of course. How has your regimen changed? Anything different?” Irving: “Not really. Just a lot more rest time and recovering. That’s important. Making sure I’m keeping as many distractions out of my life.”

When pressed: “Kyrie, any update on the return?” Irving offered no timeline, maintaining silence on the exact status. That silence is deafening for a team relying on him to bring structure to an unbalanced roster.

Earlier, Irving told Dallas Hoop Journal he’s “healing up great,” with GM Nico Harrison noting he’s “ahead of schedule.” On Twitch, Irving shared: “I was in the gym doing a little bit more as well. I was in the gym, doing a little bit more. I wanna tell you exactly what I was doing because it’s all about incremental growth, but I can share with ya’ll some good days it was some good days in the gym. I’m healing up great. This date today, on the 26th; this will be five months post-surgery.” He signed a three-year, $119 million extension.

Irving emphasized full recovery, and he won’t return until 100%, even delaying beyond the playoffs if needed. At 33, his quickness-dependent style faces challenges post-ACL. Harrison and Cuban expect him back this season, but guard depth relies on Russell as a starter, with Exum, Hardy, Williams, and Dennis Smith Jr. on a camp deal. Flagg may handle the ball early, but without Irving’s clarity, the Mavs face added pressure.

Jason Kidd can talk all he wants about Flagg playing like a point forward. But this team wasn’t built for Cooper Flagg to be the lead ball handler on Day 1. It was built around Luka. And then Kyrie. And now… there’s a massive gap no one seems capable of filling.

Meanwhile, the West isn’t forgiving. A slow start, an injury to AD or Klay, and suddenly the Mavs are back in the lottery. “There’s just too many ifs,” O’Connor said. “If Kyrie returns… if AD stays healthy… if Cooper is high-impact right away… if Klay doesn’t regress… if D’Angelo Russell is competent. They don’t stop with the Mavericks.”

Flagg may eventually grow into the star Dallas hopes he’ll be. But the current setup is far from ideal. And until Kyrie returns, everything rests on the shoulders of an 18-year-old rookie navigating chaos.