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How Cooper Flagg has impacted Mavericks despite injury absence

Originally posted on NBA on ClutchPoints
By Zachary Draves, ClutchPoints | Last updated Feb 28, 2026 10:49 AM ET

On Friday, Cooper Flagg was ruled out for the game between the Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies. He remains out due to a foot sprain.

Though he isn’t in uniform, Flagg has remained active in a different way, per Noah Weber of The Smoking Cuban.

Head coach Jason Kidd went into detail about the extent to which Flagg has stepped up even from the sidelines.

“His voice. You see him over there cheering…He’s all about his teammates, he’s all about trying to help this team win, even if he’s not in uniform. He’s been very consistent with that.”

Jason Kidd on how Cooper Flagg has contributed to the morale of the team despite being out:

“His voice. You see him over there cheering…He’s all about his teammates, he’s all about trying to help this team win, even if he’s not in uniform. He’s been very consistent with that.” pic.twitter.com/KAiiDd4ppu

— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) February 28, 2026

On Friday, the Mavericks lost to the Grizzlies 124-105. Then they will play against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday. They stand at 21-38.

Flagg is averaging 20.4 points and 6.5 rebounds over the course of 49 games. Meanwhile, he has been out for the last six games.

As of now, Flagg is in the midst of a tight battle for the NBA Rookie of the Year with Kon Knueppel of the Charlotte Hornets.

Over the course of the season, Flagg has accumulated numerous accolades during his rookie year. He’s won many Rookie of the Month honors. Additionally, Flagg scored a career high of 49 points on Jan. 29 against the Hornets. In the process, he became the youngest player in NBA history to score 40+ points in a game at 18 years old.

Additionally, Flagg became the youngest player to garner consecutive 30-point double-doubles in early February.

Also, he participated in the NBA Rising Stars game during the NBA All-Star Weekend.

This article first appeared on NBA on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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