The hits just keep on coming for the Dallas Mavericks.
First, there was February’s Luka Doncic trade, and how the Mavericks’ NBA Finals-worthy roster was upended in such a drastic, jarring way. Then came the elation of winning the NBA Draft Lottery and the right to select Duke phenom Cooper Flagg with the first overall pick.
But any hopes of competing in the upper echelons in 2025-26 appeared to be extinguished after Dallas came out of the gate with eight losses in 11 games.
Amid the franchise’s long-gestating dismissal of general manager Nico Harrison, the Mavericks are hitting the reset button and appear poised to build around Flagg, who has spent a good portion of his rookie year playing at point guard under head coach Jason Kidd.
But a national audience will not get to see the 18-year-old showcase his talents against the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.
Is Cooper Flagg playing tonight?
The Mavericks initially downgraded Flagg to “questionable” for Wednesday night’s showdown in Dallas, which is being aired on ESPN. He’s since been ruled out, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Flagg is dealing with an illness, keeping him on the sidelines for the first time in his NBA career.
Breaking: Cooper Flagg will miss his first career NBA game against the Knicks due to an illness, sources tell @ShamsCharania. pic.twitter.com/QimYkvUexu
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 19, 2025
Though the Mavericks are 4-11 with the NBA’s 30th-ranked offense by offensive rating, Flagg is proving to be the real deal as he adapts to the demands of professional basketball — not to mention an unfamiliar position on the court.
Flagg is Dallas’ second-leading scorer with 15.5 points per game, which he is achieving on respectable 45.5 percent shooting from the floor. Last Monday, he scored a career-high 26 points in a 116-114 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks — the defeat that sealed Harrison’s fate as GM.
Flagg is also demonstrating his defensive value at this early stage; he has hauled in an average of 6.3 rebounds per game and 2.0 “stocks” (steals and blocks) per contest.
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