Apr 8, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) reacts against the Phoenix Suns during the first half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Warriors' Draymond Green questions Mavs shutting down Cooper Flagg for Summer League

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Jul 19, 2025 6:00 PM ET

The Dallas Mavericks were among the first to shut down a star rookie during the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. First overall pick Cooper Flagg had a disappointing debut against the Los Angeles Lakers, scoring just 10 points on 5/21 shooting. He bounced back in the second game against the San Antonio Spurs, scoring 31 points on 10/20 shooting.

That second performance was enough for the Mavs, and they pulled him out for the remainder of the Summer League. Dallas finished just 2-3 in Vegas, as even with Flagg, they didn't have nearly enough offensive firepower.

Dallas wasn't the only team to pull its rookie. The Spurs pulled Dylan Harper, who had been dealing with a groin injury, the Philadelphia 76ers pulled VJ Edgecombe, and the Utah Jazz pulled Ace Bailey after a hip flexor injury. Teams aren't wanting to push their star rookies with literally nothing on the line, something that doesn't sit well with Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green.

"I find it very interesting that players get bashed for 'load management' but rookies get shut down during summer league these days ... fascinating huh," Green posted on Threads.

It goes without saying that those are very different situations. There is nothing to play for in the Summer League. It has no impact on the regular season or postseason, and teams mainly use it just to install a few concepts or test how a player does in a certain situation.

Although there are 82 regular-season games, and staying healthy for the postseason matters, regular-season performance does factor into postseason seeding, so someone sitting in the Summer League isn't really comparable.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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