Draymond flags Simmons in Cooper PG struggles

• ‍The Ballard of Aussie Benjamin David Simmons‍
• Ben Simmons faces NBA free agency reality: minimum contract, no guaranteed starting role
• Could the Kings be a potential Simmons suitor?

Four-time Golden State Warriors NBA champion Draymond Green warned (3-7) Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd about the risks of playing No1 draft pick Cooper Flagg out of position at the point guard at the start of the 2025-26 season.

Kidd has since moved D’Angelo Russell off the bench to starting point guard, benched Klay Thompson and moved Flagg to his natural stretch-wing position.

"The one thing I would say about starting Cooper Flagg at point guard is you just gotta be careful," Green said on his podcast.

"It's not his real position. You ask yourself the question: if Ben Simmons was allowed to be a power forward that can handle the ball the way he handled the ball, does his career turn out differently than making him a point guard? Be careful with playing Cooper Flagg at point guard.

"I understand the thinking behind it, but the last thing you want is him to lose his confidence trying to play point guard.

"Once you lose your confidence in this league it's nearly impossible to get it back, and even if you get it back, it's hard to get it back to the level that it once was — where it could have been or where it should be.

"Be very careful with playing him out of position, because if he loses his confidence it messes up everything else."

Cooper Flagg — Dallas Mavericks (2025–26 Season)‍

• ‍Position: Forward │ Jersey #: 32 │ Height/Weight: 6'9", 205 lbs │ Age: 18 (born Dec 21, 2006) │ College: Duke │ Draft: 2025, Round 1, Pick 1 (DAL) │ Status: Active

2025–26 Regular Season Stats (through Nov 9, 2025)

• ‍Points: 13.9 │ Rebounds: 6.6 │ Assists: 3.0 │ FG%: 40.3 │ 3P%: 27.3 │ FT%: 92.3

Unrestricted free agent Simmons, 29, is yet to sign with an NBA team almost three weeks after the start of the 2025-26 season. Simmons had his contract bought out by the Brooklyn Nets before the 2025 trade deadline before signing with the Los Angeles Clippers for the second half of last season.

In 275 game for the 76ers, who drafted the Melbourne-born star with the first pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, Simmons delivered 32 triple doubles between 2017 and 2021, including an astonishing 12 in his rookie year on the way to winning Rookie of the Year.

"I mean, he had all the talent in the world,’’ First Ballot NBA Hall of Famer and NBA champion Dirk Nowitzki told Australian newspaper Sunday Herald Sun last week.

“Not quite sure all the stuff that happened there in Philly but it was disappointing.

“He was like the rising star there for a long, long time. So we’ll see what happens.

"It’s still early. Sometimes things get picked up later. You just got to stay ready, stay working out.

“There’s still a bunch of free agents out there that I thought had a chance to be in the league.

"But there’s just unfortunately only so many spots in our league … hopefully Ben can find a way back in.’’

In Philadelphia, Simmons was a three-time NBA All-Star (2019–2021); All-NBA Third Team (2020); two-time NBA All-Defensive First Team (2020, 2021); NBA Rookie of the Year (2018); NBA All-Rookie First Team (2018); and NBA steals leader (2020).

Simmons has earned more than AUD $310M (USD $203M) in his nine-year career.

The Mavericks have started the season 3-7 without injured potential Australian Boomer Kyrie Irving, born in Melbourne, who blew out his ACL last season and Australian Boomers wing Dante Exum.

"Dallas, they don't have a point guard, it's hard to play in this league when you don't have a point guard," Green added.

"They're trying Cooper at point guard, which I understand, you allow him to play with the ball in this hand, letting him see different reads (but) he won't ultimately be a point guard. You may believe that that can help his development but when you look at this roster, Klay Thompson hasn't been able to do much (because) he doesn't have a point guard, especially at this point in his career having a point guard to set him up and get great looks is important and without having a point guard I'm not sure that Cooper Flagg really knows how Klay Thompson can help him.

"He's a rookie, he doesn't really know the NBA game, he's just now learning the NBA game. I think Cooper Flagg's gonna be incredible but we're asking a rookie who's not a point guard to be a great point guard and that's just that's just not how this works."

"But this Dallas team will be good at some point I just don't know that it if it happens this year with the injuries that they're faced with."