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He entered the NBA with enormous expectations as one of the most hyped draft prospects in recent history. Looked at as the best American talent since LeBron, he was widely seen as a potential future face of the league. Many people wondered: could he truly live up to the hype?

At first, he certainly wasn’t; his first month to month and a half definitely didn’t meet people’s expectations. Through October and November, Flagg averaged 16.7 points and 3.5 assists, with a TS% of 53.7, which is below league average. Then, in late November, he finally started finding his stride that led into December. When he averaged 23.5 points and 4.8 assists with a true shooting percentage of 59.5% which is slightly above league average. The Mavs also started improving more once Flagg started to, showing his impact on winning. Through October and November, the Mavericks were only 6-15, but once the calendar flipped to December, they went 6-7, only one game behind 500. If they maintained this pace throughout the whole season, they would be 9th in the West compared to 13th, right behind the Warriors.

So, how has Flagg turned his rookie season around?

To start, Jason Kidd was playing Cooper Flagg at point guard to start the season, while his natural position is small forward. This adjustment made things even harder for Flagg because he had to learn a completely different position. Playing point guard is the hardest position for a rookie to get used to. They’re in charge of running the offense, handling the ball pressure, knowing the defense inside and out, as well as each of their own players’ tendencies so they can put their team in the best possible position to score.

At point guard, Flagg understandably struggled. He averaged a modest 14 points, and his assist-to-turnover ratio was 1.33, meaning he produced 1.33 assists for every turnover he caused. However, since he’s moved back to small forward, his assist-to-turnover ratio has increased significantly to 1.98, which is right around league average

But, this isn’t to say this experience isn’t going to help in the long run.

Kidd also coached Giannis for many years before he became a 2x MVP. Like Flagg, Giannis initially played point guard and faced struggles early on.

Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

But those early growing pains helped Giannis become the player he is today. He’s widely known across the NBA as a point forward because of his ability to bring the ball up, run the offense, and be the primary ball handler. He’s one of two players in NBA history to average 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists in a season, joining the great Oscar Robertson.

Giannis often praises Jason Kidd for helping him become the player he is today. Mentioning on multiple occasions that he was the primary ball-handler in his early years has benefited him tremendously.

Outside of playing a whole new position, Flagg also had to get used to the pace of the game at the NBA level. A college team averages 60-70 possessions a game, while an NBA team averages more than 100 possessions. This means Flagg has to run more up and down the court while playing against faster players. Plus, Cooper is playing 5 more minutes per game than he did at Duke. It takes time to adapt to playing at a faster pace for a longer duration.

Not only has he had to adjust to the pace of the game, but also the physicality. In college basketball, everybody is separated by just a few years, but in the NBA, players are separated by 20 years. So when an 18-year-old enters a league with 30-year-old men, it’ll take time to get used to that. Most players’ bodies are fully developed and have had many more years to further strengthen themselves. Flagg, though, might not be fully developed and definitely hasn’t been in the weight room as long as other guys in the league.

Now looking at everything in a big picture. It completely makes sense why Cooper Flagg had a rocky start to his NBA career. But in a short few months, it’s remarkable the progress he’s already made. He’s shown multiple times that he’s going to be a star and the rest of the league should be scared for what’s to come.