The Dallas Mavericks will miss their top young star, Cooper Flagg, on Wednesday night.
On Wednesday morning, the Mavericks downgraded Flagg on the official injury report, due to an illness. He was questionable to play, but it seems the Mavs are going to give him the night off to rest and recover, according to a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania.
“Sources just told me that Cooper Flagg will miss his first game of his NBA career tonight,” Charania said on ESPN.
“He’s been feeling sick over the last 48 hours. We know he’s banged up, his thumb, his shoulder. He has been averaging 17 points per game since moving to forward, but he will be out tonight—he’s out sick.”
Entering the 2025 NBA Draft, Flagg was the most notable prospect in the player pool. Once the Dallas Mavericks won the lottery, it was clear that Flagg was Dallas-bound, joining Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson.
The start of Flagg’s run with the Mavs has been shaky, considering they have been experimenting with him outside of his natural position. Still, Flagg has remained one of the most prominent players of his draft class, starting in every game for the Mavericks so far.
In 15 games, Flagg has made 45 percent of his shots from the field, averaging 15.5 points per game. Along with his scoring, he has come down with 6.3 rebounds per game, dishing out 3.1 assists per game, and blocking 1.3 shots per game. He sees the floor on average for 33.7 minutes per night.
The Mavericks are 4-11 heading into their Wednesday night game against the New York Knicks. With many distractions throughout the year and setbacks affecting the roster nightly, the Mavs are in an uphill battle in a tough Western Conference. They’ll need Flagg back on his A-game in order to get on track.
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