The top pick Flag, the first game is at its peak, and his strength shatters all doubts

According to the latest reports, the Mavericks' decision not to let No. 1 pick Flag continue to play in the remaining summer league, which means that his summer league mission has been successfully completed, and it is even very likely that this is his last time in his career to participate in the summer league.

Reviewing Flag's summer league debut, facing the Lakers, this game became the highest ticket price in the history of the summer league because of the "hot-spot showdown" between Flag and Brownie. Despite the unprecedented attention in the spotlight, Flag's performance was not satisfactory. During his 31-minute playing time, he only made 5 goals in 21 shots, made 0 of 5 three-pointers, and contributed 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 1 block. Especially the shooting from the outside was completely unable to open up the situation, and the overall efficiency was relatively low, which was quite disappointing.

One of the eye-catching rounds was Flag's single against Brownie, and he failed to suppress his opponent in three attempts, and was eventually intercepted by Brownie and destroyed the ball. Despite this, Flag then made a mid-range shot from Brownie overhead, slightly regaining the situation. That round made people clearly feel that Brownie's physique was stronger. Although the two were in different positions, Brownie's strength was not inferior to Flag's at all. As for Flag's failure to withstand the opponent's confrontation, there is no need to over-interpret it. After all, college and NBA-level physical confrontation are completely different. After the first game, some viewers began to question Flag's ability and even said that he would be "water", but this sound was too hasty. First, the summer league itself is a new environment and cannot be used as a measure of player strength; second, Flag is actually fighting in a position outside his comfort zone in this game. Head coach Kidd had previously expressed his hope to try to let Flag play point guard. In the first game, he shouldered a lot of tasks of holding the ball. In college, he mainly played the No. 4 position and took on more of the ending point. As a brand new attempt, it is normal for Flag to perform well and badly.

In response to the doubts, Flag obviously adjusted his role in the second game against Harper's second-hand show, reduced the ball-holding organization task, and returned to his familiar end point position. As a result, he let go of his hands and feet, fighting hard, showing his comprehensive ability. In the second game, he also played for 31 minutes, made 10 of 20 shots, made 3 of 8 three-pointers, contributed 31 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block. Faced with the Spurs' full-game pressing defense, Flag adapted better. After the game, he admitted that he was relatively stable in possession of the ball, but he was not used to the continuous high-pressure defense.

In this game, Flag showed his strength in all aspects, broke through the balance with his left and right hands, ended with delicate touch, created 13 free throws, showed his strong positional combat ability, was not afraid of physical confrontation, and often completed violent dunks when he had space, and his playing style was quite fierce. The first three-pointer was not collected, but the second game increased to 3 of 8 three-pointers, making it obvious to adapt to the NBA range. His catch shots are better than holding shots, which shows that his solid basic skills are supporting him to make steady progress. Converting offense is his comfort zone and has excellent aerial work ability.

Therefore, the doubts after the first game almost disappeared after the second game, Flag completed all indicators in one game, and the summer league "check in and get off work". This development trajectory is quite similar to that of Wenban Yama. Wenban scored only 9 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 blocks in his debut in the summer league in 23, with a poor shooting percentage and an awkward scene of being dunked. In the second game, Wenban broke out and scored 27 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks, which also became his last summer league game in his career. Most of the top picks in the draft in the past four years have only participated in two summer league games, and they have a rest after showing off their talents.

Compared to Flag's summer league performance, I look forward to his preseason performance. In the summer league, Flag is the team's absolute top player and enjoys unlimited mobile phone opportunities, but in the preseason he will play side by side with the Mavericks' main lineup, and the situation will be completely different. When he plays with Thani Brow, Russell, Clay and Irving, who will return in the future, the defensive pressure he faces will be greatly reduced. At this time, he does not have to assume the main scoring and organizational responsibilities, and can give full play to his advantages in other aspects.

I am very much looking forward to Flag's improvement on the defensive end. In the past two seasons, he has built himself into an all-round forward player with a solid defense foundation and will gradually polish his offensive skills in the future. This is my expectation for his growth. Many people compare Flag to the all-around forward Kirirenko back then, but I think Flag's potential is far beyond Kirirenko, who may be just his lower limit of ability.

It is worth mentioning that Flag is the first truly white No. 1 pick in NBA history in 48 years, and his expectations are far heavier than the outside world imagined.