Finally scored 20 points! The Mavericks’ No. 1 pick played in style. It’s great not to be a point guard.

This is the Mavericks' third home game of the new season, and they must win. In the first two games, the Mavericks lost to the San Antonio Spurs and the Washington Wizards for the same reason. That is, the team used No. 1 pick Flagg to play point guard and did not give dedicated defender Russell much opportunity to perform.

The Mavericks' main ball handler is Irving, but Irving is still recovering from injury, so they signed Russell in the offseason. Russell was recruited by Irving and Thompson and accepted a salary cut. He should become the team's starting guard when Irving is injured.

As a result, the Mavericks coach Kidd used Flagg as the starting point guard, reducing Russell's playing time and ball rights. This caused the Mavericks to play very poorly and lose consecutive games. Flagg is still the starting point guard today, but he doesn't have the ball anymore, so he attacks on his own.

Russell's playing order was greatly advanced, and his playing time also increased. The Mavericks finally had a point guard and played a lot more smoothly. In the end, they defeated the Raptors 139-129 and won their first victory of the season.

Flagg did not have to play point guard, and his performance was much better. He played for 29 minutes, made 8 of 14 shots and scored 22 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 block. This was the first time in his NBA regular season career that he scored more than 20 points in a single game. Russell returned to his most comfortable position and contributed 24 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists, revitalizing the entire Mavericks team.

Flagg is indeed talented, but he also needs to be placed in the right position. Forcing him to play point guard is not comfortable for him, and the Mavericks are also struggling, so Kidd really shouldn't do random experiments anymore.