The Dallas Mavericks head into the 2025-26 NBA season without former superstar Luka Doncic for the first time since 2018, but with No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg as their beacon of light.
Flagg will have a lot of pressure on him as the season progresses, but he is leaning on his veteran teammates to help guide him through his first professional season.
Following the Mavericks‘ 106-89 preseason victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, on October 6, Flagg told reporters that D’Angelo Russell has helped him out the most since entering the league.
“He’s been an incredible influence so far of just setting the tone at a really high level. Ever since he’s come in and been around, he’s just been setting examples and just being a real role model. Just playing really hard and just playing really smart as well,” Flagg said after the game, via Noah Weber.
“He sees the game at a different level, so I think I can just learn a lot from him in the way he’s able to pick apart defenses and just use his vision to our advantage.”
D’Angelo Russell Looks to Be Dallas Mavericks’ Floor General
The former Duke phenom enters his rookie season with high expectations, as Dallas — not far removed from an NBA Finals appearance — has a fan base hungry for success and a roster ready to win now, including D’Angelo Russell.
Russell, entering his 10th year in the NBA, joined Dallas on a two-year, $11.6 million contract this Summer. He figures to be a key piece in the point guard rotation with Kyrie Irving still recovering from a torn ACL.
Russell looks to solidify himself as the Mavericks‘ floor general and is taking his role as a veteran mentor seriously. For Flagg, a guy like Russell has a lot to teach, as he was a former lottery pick himself and has experienced the highs and lows of playing in the NBA.
The former No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft has been traded four times throughout his professional career.
Russell on What the Mavericks Have That the Lakers Did Not Last Season
Both Flagg and Russell made their Dallas Mavericks debut in the preseason win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. In 14 minutes of action, the No. 1 pick had 10 points on 50% shooting to go along with six rebounds and three assists. Russell finished with five points and five assists, with the former Brooklyn Net emphasizing his focus on playmaking for this Mavericks team.
During a media day interview, the former Ohio State star subtly took a shot at the Los Angeles Lakers while praising the Mavericks’ coach Jason Kidd’s system.
“I think a guy like me, plugging into a system like this. Not every team has a coach that’s played, has credibility with the team that’s already here, not including me,” Russell told Locked on Mavs.
“I’ve had limited structure in my career. So to get to an organization, as you can see, full on structure from the youth, coaches, from veterans, to plug me into something like that, I like my odds.”
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