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Cooper Flagg was drafted first overall by the Mavs in 2025
The Dallas Mavericks received some bad news of rookie sensation Cooper Flagg dealing with a tricky injury. Flagg suffered a left midfoot sprain during Tuesday’s game against the Phoenix Suns. An MRI confirmed the sprain and is leading to the rookie missing some time, including the All-Star Weekend event he planned to play in.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reports that Flagg will miss both Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA Rising Stars Challenge event for young players. Flagg was the biggest name involved of the three teams of rookies, sophomores and G-League players all competing against each other on Friday. The NBA can’t be pleased about losing the player they’ve most marketed the Rising Stars Challenge around.
Flagg’s timetable to return is unknown since the team has yet to give their official report. Expectations are for Flagg to try to heal through the All-Star break and return only when he’s healthy enough to play. The Mavericks’ first game after the break comes in over a week against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but Flagg’s status is unknown for that game.
Does Flagg’s Injury Make Mavericks Tank?
The NBA is currently dealing with the problem of too many losing teams tanking and harming the competition level of the league. Dallas has not tanked, but they have played poorly enough to fall six games behind the tenth seed and final Western Conference play-in spot.
Tanking does help a losing team improve their draft lottery odds, so the Mavericks could easily opt to play it safe with Flagg. Past seasons have seen Dallas sit out stars and increase their draft odds, which is how they drafted center Dereck Lively just three seasons ago.
Flagg is going to miss games if his injury legitimately lingers, but don’t expect the Mavericks to force him to sit all season. Dallas fans have gone through the negative situation of losing Luka Doncic and the returning core not getting them to title contention. The rebuilding effort should see Flagg playing if healthy to give the fans some hope and continue the young star’s improvement.
Flagg’s Rookie Award Chase In Jeopardy
One major aspect of Flagg potentially missing time could see this impacting the Rookie of the Year Award race. Flagg is currently a strong favorite, but Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel has a realistic chance behind him if injuries come into play.
Knueppel playing more games and helping contribute to Charlotte’s mid-season turnaround could sway voters if Flagg misses a week or two. Flagg will only have missed five games before the All-Star break, so he is allowed to miss another twelve before being ruled ineligible for end of the season awards.
The smart bet is on Flagg easily qualifying for the Rookie of the Year Award and winning it if he continues to play at his current pace. However, the injury does open the door to give Knueppel an outside chance. Flagg’s health and future success remain the top driving forces for the Mavericks since their success requires him becoming a superstar for many years.
Joey Haverford Joey Haverford is a seasoned sports content writer with over 12 years of experience. He has covered the NBA, WNBA, MLB, NFL, and professional wrestling in the sports industry. More about Joey Haverford
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