Cooper Flagg won’t suit up for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Summer League this week.
The Mavericks have decided to shut down Flagg after two games in Las Vegas, league sources confirmed to The Athletic.
Flagg, 18, made his unofficial Mavericks debut Thursday against the Los Angeles Lakers. He had a shaky shooting night (10 points on 5 of 21 from the field) inside a packed Thomas & Mack Center. However, Flagg’s talent was on display in the Mavericks’ 87-85 win against the Lakers.
With about one minute remaining, Flagg blocked a shot attempt at the rim and then assisted Mavericks guard Ryan Nembhard for Dallas’ go-ahead basket.
Afterwards, Flagg was critical of his performance, calling it “one of the worst games of my life.”
He added, “But we got the win, so that’s what really matters to me.”
In Saturday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs, Flagg had no issues scoring. He made shots from all three levels for 31 points. He also got to the free-throw line 13 times, converting eight of those shots.
Flagg was responsible for 10 of Dallas’ 24 field goals in its 76-69 loss to San Antonio.
The Mavericks didn’t need to see anything more from Flagg after that. The No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft impacted the game in a variety of ways in the two games he played in Las Vegas, which the Mavericks are counting on him to do this season.
It’s not uncommon for teams to shut down top picks who are on summer rosters. The Spurs ended 2023 No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama’s summer league after two games in Las Vegas.
The summer league continues through July 20.
At Duke, Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists and earned ACC Player of the Year honors while leading the Blue Devils to the Final Four. He also won the Wooden and Naismith Player of the Year awards and was an All-American.
(Photo of Cooper Flagg: Brian Choi / NBAE via Getty Images)
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