Ex-Duke Blue Devils basketball star Cooper Flagg gets protection commitment from Mavs teammate

Ex-Duke Blue Devils basketball star Cooper Flagg gets protection commitment from Mavs teammate originally appeared on The Sporting News

Dereck Lively II is making it his mission to make fellow Duke Blue Devils basketball alum Cooper Flagg comfortable on the Dallas Mavericks.

While speaking at Mavs Academy Hoop Camp on Sunday, Lively vowed to protect Flagg from the feelings of not belonging he once felt as a rookie.

“I’m making sure that he’s feeling as comfortable as possible, giving him any little detail or any little thing to give him. Because whenever I was in his position, I remember how frightened I was, and I was only 19 and he’s 18,” Lively said.

Lively wants the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft to feel as welcomed as possible in Dallas.

“It was an insane moment, we’re grateful for it and we welcome in [Flagg] with open arms,” Lively said.

Flagg, as Lively recalls from their interactions in Durham, has always been a happy-go-lucky kid.

“I’ve probably known him for a couple years now, at least two or three years, and he’s just been the same, just smiling, cracking joke kid as I’ve always known. I’m glad that he’s been able to still be a person and not having too much of the spotlight just rain on him,” Lively said of Flagg.

“No matter if he’s in the gym, no matter if he’s come by the house, he’s always just had a smile on his face and he’s always just being Coop.”

Joining a franchise with win-now expectations because of veterans Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, not to mention a supporting cast that’s been kept largely intact since the Mavs’ run to the 2024 NBA Finals, may quickly add stress to Flagg’s plate. We’ll see if he keeps that smile for long.

If it were up to Lively, Flagg would never lose it as long as they’re teammates.