LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 14: Cooper Flagg sits on the Dallas Mavericks’ bench during the 2025 NBA … More
The Dallas Mavericks continued their Summer League slate Monday night in Las Vegas. It was a different scene. Unlike their previous two games, there wasn’t much intrigue when they faced the Charlotte Hornets.
The reason? Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick in last month’s NBA draft, sat out. And as longtime NBA writer Marc Stein first reported on Sunday, the Mavericks decided to shut down Flagg for the rest of the summer, including Monday’s 87-69 loss to the Mavericks and Wednesday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Mavericks will have at least one more game, too, depending on how they finish in the standings, although Flagg won’t suit up then, either.
As such, Flagg finishes his Summer League averaging 20.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals in two games. After struggling from the field in his debut last Saturday, making just 5-of-21 shots for 10 points and being held scoreless in the second half, Flagg had 31 points and made 10 of his 21 shots Saturday. That was tied with John Wall in 2010 for the most points for a rookie in a Summer League game.
No reports have suggested Flagg is dealing with an injury. Instead, the Mavericks are treating him like almost all franchises have in the past several years when it comes to No. 1 overall picks. It doesn’t make sense to push rookies too hard, as teams know the NBA season is much longer and more grueling than anything players experienced in college.
Each of the previous three top NBA draft selections played two Summer League games: Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher averaged 14.5 points and shot 39.3% from the floor in 29.5 minutes per game last year; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama averaged 18 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks in 27.2 minutes per game in 2023; and Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero averaged 20 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds in 30.1 minutes per game in 2022.
And in the three years before that, the No. 1 overall picks didn’t play much (if at all), either: Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham appeared in three games in the 2021 Summer League, averaging 18.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in 27.7 minutes per game; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards didn’t play in the 2020 Summer League because it was cancelled due to COVID-19; and New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson scored 11 points in his 2019 Summer League debut before colliding with an opponent and missing the rest of the summer.
For Williamson, it was a sign to come, as he has dealt with multiple injuries throughout his career. In six seasons, he has only played in 214 games, including sitting out the entire 2021-22 season and appearing in 30 or fewer games in three other seasons. He is coming off a season in which he averaged 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game but only appeared in 30 games.
The Mavericks expect they’ll get much more time with Flagg on the court, and there’s nothing to suggest he’s injury-prone or content with the status quo. Instead, Flagg is lauded for his work ethic, focusing on all aspects of his game and defending multiple positions. As a freshman last season, he was the consensus national player of the year, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game and leading Duke to the Final Four, where they lost to Houston.
Flagg, who doesn’t turn 19 until December, is the second-youngest No. 1 pick to enter the NBA. The youngest? LeBron James, who was a few days younger when the Cleveland Cavaliers selected him in 2003 out of high school.
Although Flagg is out until the preseason, several other top picks from last month’s draft are still playing in the Summer League, including San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (No. 2 overall) and Hornets guard Kon Knueppel (No. 4), Flagg’s former teammate at Duke who had 16 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and just 1 turnover in Monday night’s victory over the Mavericks. But others have been sidelined, including two who are nursing injuries in Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe (sprained thumb) and Utah Jazz forward Ace Bailey (hip).
For the Mavericks, proceeding with caution with Flagg is the smart move. After trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February in a stunning deal that sparked outrage from its fan base, Dallas missed the playoffs before winning the NBA lottery despite only having a 1.8% chance of getting the No. 1 pick. Now, with Flagg joining veterans such as forward Anthony Davis and points guard Kyrie Irving and promising young players such as 21-year-old center Dereck Lively II, the Mavericks are suddenly among the most intriguing teams in the league. And so, while fans won’t be able to watch Flagg play again this summer, the Mavericks hope he’ll be ready once the season begins and, more importantly be rested and healthy and a major contributor later in the season for a playoff push.
