In an appearance on NBA on Prime, long-time Miami Heat player turned executive turned pundit Udonis Haslem sought to give a shout-out to Philadelphia 76ers rookie, V.J. Edgecombe. But in trying to big up one guy, he was unfairly harsh by implication on two others – and particularly so towards Dallas Mavericks rookie, Cooper Flagg.
A discussion about which of the recent rookie class the panel of Haslem, Malika Andrews, Zach Lowe, Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki would most like to start a franchise with led to Haslem picking Edgecombe over both the current frontrunner for Rookie of the Year Flagg and Charlotte Hornets standout Kon Knueppel. And his reasoning for such focused almost exclusively on what he perceived as Edgecombe’s defensive superiority.
âI know Cooper is doing his thing. I know Kon is doing his thing, but V.J. to me, out of all of these guys, heâs the two-way guy,” began Haslem. “Heâs the guy who can impact the game on both ends of the basketball court. Iâve watched V.J. Edgecombe go through a whole three quarters of just guarding [Jalen] Brunson, guarding Luka [Doncic], and all of a sudden in the fourth quarter, heâs making big shots, he’s making big plays. His play is not dictated on whether heâs getting the basketball or not; […] this guy impacts the game regardless of whether the basketball is in his hands.”
“I love V.J. Edgecombe right now. I understand it’s a great rookie class, but if Iâm starting my team, Iâm starting my team with a two-way guy.”
Taste Is Subjective But Talent Is Not
There is, of course, nothing wrong with picking Edgecombe as the franchise foundational piece of choice. At this early stage in their careers, such picks are subjective more than retrospective.
There is, however, something wrong with the overt implication that Edgecombe is the only one of the three that plays defense. Knueppel does, too – and Flagg definitely does.
Flagg’s size, versatility and willingness to provide help defense made him a stand-out defender in college, and so far appear to have translated to the NBA level as well. His ability to guard both in the post and on the perimeter give him a flexibility to rival Edgecombe’s, and while he might be as good – or as tested – at getting low and/or face-guarding the opponent’s best opposing ball-handler for 30 minutes a night, it is entirely misguided to say that Flagg is not a two-way player. His defensive impact is legitimate; Haslem’s criticism is not.
Mavericks Certainly Would Not Prefer Edgecombe
On the season to date, Flagg – given the keys to a Mavericks team that has struggled to a 19-30 record and is not going anywhere – is averaging 19.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. It is an excellent start for one so young, and in the process, he has demonstrated an almost preternatural ability to finish at the rim with a complimentary ease of getting there. Once his jump shot takes a few levels up, he is going to be on the way to joining the NBA’s best offensive talents.
Until the jump shot comes around, though, it could even be said that the defensive end is his better one. Flagg sees the play unfold on that end, rotates smartly and quickly, contests at the rim while also stepping up to contest the more face-up opponents he faces on a nightly basis. You would expect to see more imperfections, lapses and clumsy fouls from someone thrown into the front end of an NBA rotation after such a brief stay in college. But there has been very little of that on show.
Praise of V.J. Edgecombe’s defense, tenacity and two-way talent is entirely fair, but it should not come at the expense of the talents of others. Haslem slightly misspeaking due to the perils of live television is understandable, and in trying to spread love rather than criticism, he at least erred on the side of niceness. Yet let it not pass into common belief that Cooper Flagg is a limited, disinterested or bad defender. He is not Luka. He is Luka’s replacement, and he defends far better.
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