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Southwest Notes: Flagg, Hardy, Nembhard, Morant, Jackson Jr., Barnes

October 14th 2025 at 10:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cooper Flagg, point guard? At least for this week, that’s his spot. With D’Angelo Russell sitting out against Utah in the Mavericks’ preseason game on Monday, Flagg got the nod at the point in a jumbo lineup featuring P.J. Washington, Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II, Marc Stein of the Stein Line tweets.

The Mavericks staff is eager to see what the No. 1 overall pick in the draft can do in different roles. Flagg responded on Monday with 11 points. He had just one assist but no turnovers.

“When you look at what Cooper’s done here, it’s been really good,” coach Jason Kidd said, per Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal. “We’ve put him in different situations — running the offense, running plays, playing off the ball. There are things he has to improve. He’s not perfect yet, but being able to make plays and understand the game at a high level at 18 has been really cool to watch.”

Kidd plans to go with the same lineup against the Lakers, according to Afseth.

“You’ll probably see that group start again on Wednesday,” Kidd said.

Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

  • Kidd used Ryan Nembhard, who is signed to a two-way contract, as the first point guard off the bench ahead of Jaden Hardy, Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News notes (Twitter links). Hardy has struggled in the preseason and Kidd wants him to be more than a scorer. “I think growth has to be able to not just score the ball. We know he can do that,” the Mavericks‘ head coach said. “Can he make plays for others? Can he get us set in the offense? Being able to compete on the defensive end. He’s going to get a great opportunity in preseason to show that he has grown.” Hardy signed a three-year, $18MM extension last year which kicks in this season.
  • Grizzlies stars Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. are making good progress in their rehab from injuries, head coach Tuomas Iisalo said on Tuesday, per Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “Both guys are progressing really well and are able to do significantly more than one week ago,” Iisalo said. Morant is considered week-to-week with a sprained left ankle. Jackson is recovering from turf toe surgery. Neither has seen action in the preseason.
  • Expect Harrison Barnes to remain in a starting role with the Spurs, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News writes (subscription required). While head coach Mitch Johnson has yet to announce an opening night lineup, Barnes has not come off the bench in any game since the 2015/16 season. He enters his 14th season riding a streak of 304 consecutive games played. “I’m just trying to be out there for every game,” said Barnes, who has an expiring $19MM contract.
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