The Mavericks need Cooper Flagg to be more assertive in every close game

The Dallas Mavericks (4-4) lost to the defending Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night. It was a one-possession game for the last 5:03 of the game, when Kyrie Irving re-entered. They had every chance in the world to steal a big game on the road. Ultimately, they came up short, and Cooper Flagg’s passivity is, in part, to blame.

Of the Mavericks’ 10 possessions in the final five minutes, half of them either started with Kyrie Irving initiating the offense, ended with him taking the shot, or both. And one of these possessions lasted two seconds when Naji Marshall immediately turned it over after a steal. So, effectively, Irving’s usage rate over the last five minutes…