Cooper Flagg's rookie season with the Mavericks has gotten off to a somewhat shaky start. The No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft struggled in his debut, scoring only 10 points on 13 shots as Dallas coach Jason Kidd experiments with Flagg playing point guard. He found his footing over the next two games and broached the 20-point mark for the first time against the Raptors. But Monday brought a stroke of bad luck.
Playing against the defending champion Thunder, Flagg suffered a shoulder injury in the first quarter that clearly hindered him throughout the rest of the contest. He toughed it out to stay on the court but the rookie finished with only two points on 1-for-9 shooting in 31 minutes. Notably, Kidd chose to bench Flagg for the final minutes of what wound up a narrow 101-94 loss. An understandable decision in light of the injury but undoubtedly a foreign feeling for Flagg given he's been viewed as one of the best NBA prospects ever for the last three or so years.
