Cooper Flagg continues to garner high praise from Mavericks coach Jason Kidd

Coming off a dominant college season at Duke, Cooper Flagg entered the NBA with endless hype and buzz around him. Long viewed as the clear choice for the top pick in his respective draft, the versatile forward continues to live up to the incredibly high bar set for him in the early stages of his pro career. 

Originally set to be flanked by an array of high-level veterans, the rookie finds himself leading the charge for Dallas on a nightly basis. With Kyrie Irving still recovering from his ACL injury and Anthony Davis regularly in and out of the lineup, Flagg has had an expanded role for the Mavericks. This has allowed him to fully showcase his wide range of talents, averaging 19.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 4.3 APG, and 1.3 SPG across his first 39 games. 

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd praises Cooper Flagg's leadership capabilities 

It's no secret that Flagg has turned a lot of heads with his on-court play, but Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd has been impressed by something else he's brought to the table. That being his strong leadership qualities.

Having just turned 19 three weeks ago, Flagg is very young as an NBA prospect. However, he's proven to be ahead of his years in terms of how he carries himself. Following Dallas' win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, Kidd gave high praise to the rookie for how he's taken on a leadership role within the group.

"We all know he is special, so just understanding that we'll never take anybody for granted," Kidd told reporters postgame. "But his skill set, his maturity at the age of 19, he is leading this team. He is one of our leaders on the floor and off the floor. We have to lean into that. We have guys out; hopefully, we get guys back soon so they can help him."

Coming off the shocking Luka Doncic trade last year, the Mavericks find themselves in search of a new pillar that is going to lead the franchise into the future. Between his stellar play and willingness to lead, Flagg is showing early signs of being capable of taking on such a responsibility moving forward.