DALLAS — Cooper Flagg’s impressive rookie campaign for the Dallas Mavericks ended on a sour note when the No. 1 overall pick limped off the court in the season finale and was later ruled out with an ankle sprain.
Flagg exited in the second quarter favoring his left ankle and did not return to the game. The 19-year-old, who has been a constant bright spot for Dallas all season, remains a leading candidate in the race for Rookie of the Year, with former college teammate Kon Knueppel among his closest challengers.
How the injury happened wasn’t immediately clear. Before leaving the contest Flagg had compiled 10 points and four rebounds in 10 minutes. He closes the year averaging 21.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists across 70 games — numbers that underscore how quickly he adjusted to the NBA level.
The Mavericks had already fallen out of playoff contention weeks earlier after a rocky season that began with high hopes. Continued injury problems for Anthony Davis followed by his trade to Washington altered the team’s plan, and the club also chose to keep Kyrie Irving sidelined all season after Irving suffered a torn ACL in March 2025.
Even as the team slipped in the standings, Flagg kept piling up milestones. He produced an eye-catching scoring surge late in the season, posting 96 points across two games on a single weekend, including a 51-point outing against Orlando that made him the first teenager in NBA history to reach 50 in a game, surpassing his own previous mark of 49.
Flagg’s list of accomplishments goes beyond single-game explosions. He was a major reason Duke reached the Final Four last year and was honored as the nation’s top freshman, achievements that helped fuel the excitement after the Mavericks improbably won the top pick despite entering the draft lottery with roughly a 1.8% chance. His scoring feats have also placed him in rare company historically; he and Michael Jordan are the only rookies since the 1976-77 merger to have multiple games of at least 45 points, and a 45-point game earlier this month moved him past LeBron James for the most 40-point games by a teenager.
