Cooper Flagg finally made his Dallas Mavericks Summer League debut against the Los Angeles Lakers in Las Vegas on Thursday night, and Dallas' bold plan to make him a point guard was put into motion right out of the gates in this game. Immediately after Dallas won the jump ball, Flagg motioned back around to get the ball, and the Lakers double-teamed him right away.

Flagg handled the ball all game long and stood out in this way. He racked up four assists and only turned the ball over once in 32 minutes of action, and his point guard play caught the attention of Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban. After pushing for Flagg to play point guard following Flagg's introductory press conference a few weeks ago, Cuban was pleased with what he saw from his new rookie, and he broke it all down in an exclusive conversation with The Smoking Cuban on site at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Cuban believed that Flagg showed off "everything" that makes him special against the Lakers, and he was particularly impressed with his poise and performance while handling the rock.

"He showed he has handles, no one stole the ball, and every guy out there was trying to take the ball from him," Cuban told The Smoking Cuban. "I think he really showed up and proved that he can make reads, he can get to his spots, and he can create for other people. He makes the right pass almost every time."

Flagg's four assists don't tell the entire story with his passing from his Summer League debut, as he set up countless different looks for teammates that didn't fall. Whether it was finding a teammate for an open three or making the right read in transition, Flagg showed that his playmaking is special, and fans got the best of both worlds from him with just over a minute remaining in the game.

With the Lakers holding an 85-84 lead, DJ Steward drove to the rim and attempted a left-hand layup and was denied at the rim by Flagg. He then pushed the ball in transition, drew in the defense, and found Ryan Nembhard for an open right-wing three with 1:02 remaining to give Dallas an 87-85 lead, ultimately resulting in a win.

Flagg made a winning play on both ends of the floor in the span of less than 10 seconds, and these are the types of sequences that Mavs fans need to get used to. He does all of the little things that help result in his team winning games, and he helped lead the Mavericks to a win despite the Lakers sending all of the pressure they could at him and defending him like an NBA superstar all game long.

"For an 18-year-old, the maturity he showed, and the basketball IQ, was ," Cuban told The Smoking Cuban.

Flagg made the right play over and over again, and while he didn't have his best shooting night, his performance with the ball in his hands is what could end up having a major impact on Dallas' performance next season.

With Kyrie Irving set to miss multiple months with a torn ACL, Flagg will likely be one of the lead ball handlers within the starting lineup, especially if they go big and play Flagg at the two alongside D'Angelo Russell. While Russell coming in will ultimately take some pressure off Flagg, Dallas may need Flagg to handle the ball often, just like he did at Summer League, and experiment with him in different ways to figure out how they can best utilize his game.

The Mavericks are going to need strong guard play over the first half of the season, and with their current quiet playmaking deficiency, Flagg is poised to help them make a major jump in that department. He showed promise as a ball handler despite the Lakers' relentless on-ball pressure while defending him, and if he can continue to make the right reads in tough situations, those missed shots from his Summer League teammates are going to turn into made threes for his Mavs teammates during the regular season.

Stat-sheet watchers won't understand how colossal an impact Flagg made against the Lakers on Thursday, but he showcased why he has the skills to fulfill Jason Kidd's plan of making him a facilitator moving forward.