Cooper Flagg’s summer of splendor — at least from a basketball perspective — came to a sudden end on Sunday.
The Mavericks’ No. 1 overall pick enjoyed a whirlwind two-game stretch in the Las Vegas Summer League. But that spell reportedly washed away like the seasons; Dallas is shutting down Flagg for the remainder of the summer, insider Marc Stein reported
Flagg’s time under the Sin City gleam was nothing if not entrancing. The 18-year-old offered viewers a glimpse at his considerable gifts throughout his first weekend as a pro, marauding across the floor to contest shots and knock away errant passes against the Lakers before finding joy as an attacker against the Spurs.
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With a two-way game that would delight even the most hardened observers, Flagg looks well on his way to achieving NBA success. But just why was he rendered a spectator so early in his Summer League career? Here’s what you need to know.
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Is Cooper Flagg injured?
No, there’s no reason to believe Flagg is injured. He played healthy minutes in each of his Summer League appearances.
Rather, it seems Flagg’s removal from selection is performance-related. The rookie struggled to find his mark in his Summer League debut against Los Angeles, tallying 10 points on 5-of-21 shooting in Dallas’ two-point win.
Still, that showing—which saw Flagg collect six rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block—still shimmered. His all-around impact was paramount for the Mavericks, who got the lead for good late in the fourth quarter after Flagg swatted an attempted lay-in away before feeding Ryan Nembhard from deep.
Cooper BLOCK
Nembhard BUCKET pic.twitter.com/vPvzsj9cRW— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) July 11, 2025
All Flagg needed was a strong scoring display to affirm his place as the 2025 Draft Class’s best prospect. He did just that with his showing against San Antonio and its No. 2 overall pick, Dylan Harper.
Flagg registered 31 points on Saturday, nearly half of Dallas’ total points tally. He was effective across various levels of the floor, canning 3-of-8 triples while slaloming to the cup with relative ease.
Simply, Saturday proved too easy for Flagg. At least that’s what the Mavericks’ management appears to believe.
Flagg isn’t the first player to have his stint in summer league ball cut short. The same fate fell upon Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero, among other former top picks. Think of the early “benching” as a badge of honor, a sign that Flagg, like his predecessors, is ready for the rigors of the NBA.
MORE: Full list of players for each team in the 2025 NBA Summer League
Cooper Flagg Summer League stats
- 20.5 points per game
- 5.0 rebounds per game
- 2.5 assists per game
- 1.5 steals per game
- 0.5 blocks per game
- 1.5 turnovers per game
- 35.7 percent field goal shooting
- 21.4 percent 3-point shooting
- 57.1 percent free throw shooting
