Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said he intends to open the NBA Summer League by running 18-year-old rookie Cooper Flagg as the team’s primary ball-handler. “I want to put him at point guard,” Kidd told reporters, adding that he is eager to see how the forward handles the role against the Los Angeles Lakers on 10 July. Kidd expects Flagg to play in at least Dallas’s first two Summer League contests—against the Lakers and then the San Antonio Spurs—as part of an effort to test the teenager in “uncomfortable” situations early in his professional development. The coach praised Flagg’s work ethic and competitiveness, calling him “a winner” who is already looking for extra workouts. The experiment echoes Kidd’s earlier decision in Milwaukee to give Giannis Antetokounmpo extended minutes as a ball-handler, a move that accelerated the future MVP’s growth. Dallas hopes a similar approach will speed Flagg’s transition from high-school standout to NBA contributor.