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Jason Kidd can be forgiven for changing his mind. Or if not exactly changing his mind, then at least succumbing to wishful thinking. At Mavericks' media day, the Dallas coach tried to get reporters to pump the brakes on saying Kyrie Irving was ahead of schedule. Some people noticed that the Mavs point guard looked good during shooting drills at training camp while recovering from an ACL injury and speculated that maybe he might return to the team before the new year. Kidd wasn't having it. He said "a lot of positive things" were happening with Irving's rehab, but the "ahead of schedule" part was triggering. He called the use of that phrase "bad reporting." Fast forward to this weekend. A little over a month removed from those comments and the Mavericks are 2-4 after losing to the Pistons in Mexico City in what Kidd called a fourth quarter "collapse." The frontcourt heavy Mavs -- who are also missing Anthony Davis after he suffered a left calf strain last week -- went into the season painfully thin in the backcourt with a glaring lack of shot creators. So much so that beyond D'Angelo Russell, who has come off the bench this season, they've been forced into experimenting with No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg at point guard. The results have been mixed. And so Kidd can be forgiven for going to the podium after the latest loss and daydreaming a little about having Kyrie back at the controls. "We just can't wait to get Kai back, at some point," Kidd said. "Hopefully it's in the year of '25, not '26. We'll see what happens, but I think [Irving and Flagg] will be a perfect match in the backcourt." The Mavericks could use the help. Any team would love to add a ball handler, playmaker and scorer of Irving's caliber to the mix, but Dallas is especially desperate for someone with that particular skill set. Generating offense without Irving and with limited backcourt options has been challenging, to be kind. Without Irving's offensive oompf to give them a boost, through the first six games the Mavericks are 28th in eFG percentage, last in assist-to-turnover ratio and last in offensive rating. When you're looking up at the Hospital Pacers and winless Pelicans -- the latter being the only team in the Western Conference with a worse record than Dallas -- something has gone terribly awry. As a consequence of Irving's absence, Flagg has been asked to run the offense probably more than anyone would have wanted if Dallas was fully healthy. It remains a process. His counting stats so far are ... fine. Flagg is averaging 13.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.8 turnovers in 32.5 minutes per game. The shot has been less ideal, with his 37.3% from the floor and just 28.6% from 3-point range on 3.5 attempts per game. There have been moments when he's shown the outsized athleticism and promise that made him such a hyped prospect coming out of Duke. And then there have been other moments when he and everyone else are reminded how the NBA tends to welcome rookies, even first overall picks. It's helpful to remember that Flagg won't turn 19 until December and he's only six games into his career. It will take time for him to be consistently comfortable. Unfortunately for the Mavericks, time is a luxury they don't have a lot of considering they play in the loaded Western Conference. Maybe they can tread water until Irving comes back, but they didn't have much of a choice when it came to throwing Flagg into the deep end of the point guard pool. With the way the roster is constructed and Kidd seemingly committed to having Russell run the second unit, there weren't a whole lot of options. Now it's sink or swim for Flagg and Dallas. Shortly before the season started, Kidd said Flagg has "a talent about winning" and "it's in his DNA." Because of that, the head coach said it was "unfair not to make him uncomfortable." If that's the case, mission accomplished. Because through all the ups and downs to start the season, the one thing Flagg has not looked yet is truly comfortable. Flagg admitted as much in Mexico City. "It's a tough league," Flagg said after the Pistons loss. "It's a transition. I haven't made a lot of shots or been as efficient as I would've wanted to, but I'm gonna keep trusting the work. It's nothing I think they should be worried about. I'm not worried about anything." Aside from the shooting efficiency, which he was right to call himself out for after going 3 for 14 from the floor, Flagg had a pretty good game against Detroit: 16 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, just one turnover and a pair of 3s. He also made all eight of his free throws. That's the kind of effort from an 18-year-old that projects promise. The problem is the Mavericks plainly have designs on competing here and now if they can help it. Which puts added pressure on Flagg. He can't just work on his game and get better. He's been put in a position where he needs to impact winning sooner than later. That's a tough spot. General manager Nico Harrison did Kidd no favors when he constructed a roster with such glaring backcourt issues, and Kidd in turn is doing Flagg no favors by asking him to do so much, so soon. But to hear Kidd tell it, it's all part of the plan. Yes, they're eagerly anticipating Irving's return. Yes, Flagg has been put on the ball as a direct result of Irving being unavailable due to injury. But no, that's not all of it. To hear Kidd tell it, this will all benefit the Mavericks and Flagg down the line. "There's a couple of things behind [Flagg] playing [point guard]," Kidd said in Mexico City. "One is our health…The other part of handling the ball is being able to handle the pressure when April comes around and you're playing for something greater." It makes sense of a sort. Get some on-the-job training now, acclimate to the attendant pressure, and everything ought to be easier later on. The potential problem with the thinking there is the bit about making it to April with a record that allows them to play for something greater in the postseason. Right now, without Irving to course correct an offense that's lost its way, that assumes a lot.
