Dallas Mavericks star Cooper Flagg admitted that injuries to key teammates forced him to take on a larger role than he initially anticipated, but he believes the additional responsibilities have accelerated his development.

Flagg entered his first NBA season expecting to play alongside established veterans such as Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson.

However, injuries disrupted those plans, leaving the young forward with more opportunities to handle the ball and contribute offensively.

“Coming in I wasn’t expecting to be thrown in the fire as much. Obviously I was looking at AD, Kai, Klay, and some of the injuries it just didn’t work out that way and kind of just thrown out there more than I expected and had a little bit more responsibility, but overall it’s just helped me to develop.”

The No. 1 overall draft pick explained that while the circumstances were different from what he expected, the increased workload has helped him become more comfortable with the demands of the NBA.

Instead of gradually adjusting to the league while relying heavily on experienced teammates, Flagg has been asked to create offensive opportunities and make decisions with the ball.

He also credited Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd for encouraging him to embrace those responsibilities and develop his playmaking abilities.

“Coach Kidd has given me that confidence to go out and be a creator and learn the game in a lot of different ways, it’s helped me to just get comfortable all around.”