Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg doesn’t anticipate his shoulder injury will be a problem going forward.
Speaking to reporters after Monday’s 101-94 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Flagg said his shoulder is “a little sore” and he will have some scans done, but expects to be “good to go.”
Flagg appeared to injure his left shoulder on the first possession of the game while boxing out for a rebound. He was able to stay in and play 31 minutes, but head coach Jason Kidd pulled him with 8:14 remaining when they were trailing by 19.
Dallas cut the deficit to 95-91 with 1:25 remaining and Flagg was subbed back in twice for defensive purposes. He finished the game with just two points on 1-of-9 shooting, two rebounds, two steals and no assists.
On the heels of a disastrous three-month stretch at the end of last season that started with trading Luka DonÄić to the Los Angeles Lakers in February, the Mavs got the ultimate bail out in the lottery when they won the No. 1 pick in a year with a superstar prospect at the top of the class.
Flagg will be counted on to be the new face of the franchise, but the early returns from his rookie season show there’s a lot of room for growth with him and the team around him.
Monday’s loss dropped the Mavericks to 1-3. They rank last in the NBA in offense by rating and points per game. Things will improve as the season goes on, especially when they get Kyrie Irving back from a torn ACL.
Ultimately, though, the most important thing for Dallas this season is Flagg’s development. He has NBA-ready tools despite being just 18 years old, but there’s going to be a transition period before he is completely able to dominate at this level.
Losing any reps early in his career is a setback for Flagg, but the Mavs also have to be careful to ensure they aren’t risking him doing any long-term damage to his body.
The Mavericks are off on Tuesday before hosting the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.
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