Is Kyrie Irving the perfect partner for Cooper Flagg?

The Dallas Mavericks overhauled their front office, hired a new head coach, and reshaped their roster this offseason. But their most important addition on the court could be Kyrie Irving as he returns from a torn ACL. If Kyrie looks like Kyrie, no one will benefit more than Cooper Flagg.

Former head coach Jason Kidd spent the start of last season experimenting with Flagg playing point guard. A lot of the time, Flagg looked like a teenager. But by the end of the season, Flagg looked like an All-NBA player. Over his final 26 games, Flagg averaged 25.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists. His surge was highlighted by a 51-point performance that helped him win Rookie of the Year.

By bringing the ball up the floor, using screens, and reading defenders over hundreds of repetitions, he’s better prepared for his career moving forward. However, Flagg and the Mavericks were better when he played with a pure point guard.

When Flagg shared the floor with Ryan Nembhard or Brandon Williams last season, he was more efficient and the Mavericks played better. This doesn’t mean that Flagg can’t run an offense. It just means that, at least at this stage of his career, he’s better when he has help. That’s why Irving’s mere presence can provide balance to Flagg’s offensive diet.

Flagg’s magic is that he can be both an initiator and a play finisher. He can grab a rebound and lead the break, run pick-and-roll, or attack from the elbows. But he can also cut, screen, roll, spot up, crash the glass, and destroy a rotating defense.

Kyrie has already shown he can thrive alongside jumbo playmakers. He won a championship next to LeBron James and excelled alongside Luka Dončić. And though Flagg is nowhere near as accomplished as LeBron or Luka, he brings a versatile skill set that can complement Kyrie. On some plays, Irving can run the show while Flagg moves around off-ball. On other plays, it’ll be Flagg who handles the ball and Kyrie can set an inverted screen for him.

Obviously, there’s concern around whether Kyrie can stay healthy. He’s 34-years-old and just missed a full calendar year. But Cooper is the centerpiece now. And together, they’re going to have plenty of help.

At center, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II (who is still recovering from foot surgery) provide two vertical threats. There’s concern over Lively’s durability, but that’s why drafting Morez Johnson Jr. made so much sense. Johnson is an elite athlete who can switch across positions as a 6-foot-9, 250-pound defender. The Mavericks also brought in Santi Aldama, who is a floor-spacing forward that can do a lot of the little things. P.J. Washington, Max Christie, and Naji Marshall remain on the roster and offer size and versatility — and, who knows, maybe a change of scenery even helps Zaccharie Risacher find a stable rotation role.

Now it’s on new head coach Dusty May to put those pieces together. He led FAU to the Final Four and won a national championship in just his second season at Michigan. May said that Flagg will play “all over the court,” which should really come as no surprise given how this roster is constructed. The new Dallas front office, led by Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz, is already surrounding Flagg with versatile pieces that could translate to immediate wins.

If Irving can return healthy, then we could see Flagg turn into a star and the Mavericks turn into a playoff team a lot sooner than anyone might expect.