Dallas should put Cooper Flagg in motion before asking him to solve every possession against a set defense. More transition chances, followed by selective trips to the offensive glass, would give the Mavericks a sensible way to create easier baskets while his perimeter shooting develops.
Coach Dusty May discussed that approach Sept. 27, pointing to transition and offensive rebounding as routes to more Flagg opportunities at the rim, with surrounding shooting helping the plan. The idea is straightforward, though its value depends on how carefully Dallas chooses those moments. Early offense is useful only when it does not become hurried offense.
Flagg’s 2025-26 regular-season numbers show why the emphasis belongs on shot quality as much as shot volume. He produced 21.0 points per game, added 6.7 rebounds and supplied 4.5 assists, making 8.0 field goals on 17.1 attempts per night. His 29.5% three-point accuracy, on 3.5 attempts, remains the clearest outside variable.
That number should improve for defenders to pay a fuller price for sagging, but Dallas does not need to wait for a finished jumper before making his offense more efficient.
Running the floor is the first opportunity. A Flagg sprint can force a retreating defender to make an immediate decision, whether he receives the ball near the rim, attacks an opening or draws help and moves it onward. The possession begins before the defense has arranged its preferred matchups and help positions.
That can reduce the burden on him without pretending every basket must come from individual creation.
The alternative is a long half-court possession in which the defense has time to load toward Flagg’s driving lanes. Longer possessions are not automatically poor ones; they can produce a better angle, a second side of the floor or an open shot after the ball moves. They also give Dallas time to make the defense shift, which can matter more than the first action.
But each extra pass must change the problem. If the ball merely returns to the same crowded side, patience has become delay with better manners.
Dallas shot 34.4% from three as a team last season, so spacing and ball movement will determine whether a patient possession eventually creates an advantage or merely relocates the same problem. A Flagg drive is more inviting when the corners are occupied and help has farther to travel.
If defenders can remain near the paint without respecting the next pass, even a strong downhill move becomes a negotiation with too many bodies.
When the initial shot goes up, Flagg can provide a second route to the rim. He averaged 1.2 offensive rebounds, while Dallas averaged 10.5 as a team. Those figures support giving him chances to pursue selected misses, particularly when his position, the shot’s trajectory and the team’s floor balance make the gamble reasonable.
A controlled crash can create a putback or draw defenders into another scramble, and it can make a defense less comfortable ending the possession with one box-out.
