Flagg hurts shoulder, is benched in crunch time

Young Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg took a beating on Monday night as Dallas crashed to a 101-94 defeat against Oklahoma City. The first-round draft pick injured his left shoulder in the opening minutes and spent most of crunch time nursing it from the bench, scoring just two points on 1-of-9 shooting.

Flagg's poor performance was attributed to being "flat" in the second game of his back-to-back, a condition he acknowledged he'd never experienced before. The 22-point scorer in the previous night's win over Toronto looked off in crunch time, failing to make an impact despite cheering on his teammates from the sidelines.

Coach Jason Kidd defended his decision to bench Flagg during critical moments, citing the need for the team to perform well and take advantage of the momentum built by a strong supporting cast. "It wasn't his night tonight," Kidd said. "We're a team, and so understand that the group that was out there put us in the position to win the game."

Flagg, however, showed no issue with the benching, accepting that he'd let his teammates down. He vowed to get treatment for the shoulder injury, stating that scans would be conducted to ensure everything is clear before resuming play against Indiana on Wednesday. With one of the most hyped rookies in the league, Flagg's durability and ability to perform under pressure will be crucial to the Mavericks' success.

omg can you believe cooper flagg's career already getting derailed like 2 games in at least he's taking it in stride tho i mean who doesn't love a good benching storyline, but seriously coach kidd needs to be more transparent about when the youngins are gonna get benched or we'll all be wondering why flagg wasn't ready for primetime btw 101-94 is still pretty much an embarrassment for the mavericks

I feel bad for Cooper Flagg, that guy was getting absolutely roasted out there on Monday ! I mean, a rookie with so much hype like him should be putting up some sick numbers, not scoring just two points and looking flat as a pancake ️. And yeah, the benching from Coach Kidd makes sense, but still gotta feel bad for Flagg, he's gonna wanna prove himself ASAP .

The Mavericks are all about that team effort vibe, so I'm sure they're all behind him, getting treatment on his shoulder . It's like in the movie "Rocky", you know when Rocky gets knocked down and then gets back up? Flagg needs to be the champion of getting back up from this setback and crushing it next game ! Can't wait to see what he does against Indy on Wednesday

idk man... i think cooper flagg got robbed his shoulder injury looked pretty gnarly... coach kidd shoulda let him finish the game at least... but on the other hand, i get where coach kidd is coming from the team needs to win and they did... so maybe it was just one of those nights? flagg's gotta bounce back from this tho... can't have a rookie having a meltdown like that

I mean, can you blame Cooper Flagg for feeling frustrated? I think what we're seeing here is a classic case of the 'benching conundrum'. On one hand, Coach Kidd is saying that it's for the greater good of the team, but let's be real, folks. When your rookie sensation is benching you during crunch time, it's hard not to feel like you're being left behind. It's a bit like our politicians who always say they're working in the best interests of the people, but when it comes down to it, it's often just about their own survival.

I'm worried that Flagg is going to struggle with his mental game if he can't get back out on the court soon. And what does this say about Coach Kidd's leadership style? Is he really putting the needs of the team ahead of individual player development? It's a bit like our current state of politics, where the party loyalists are more concerned with sticking to the script than doing what's best for the country. I hope Flagg can get his shoulder sorted out and show us what he's really made of!

Stats are crazy! Cooper Flagg had a 22-point scorer streak in his last game but went down with an injury that left him benchwarmers for most of crunch time He only shot 1/9 from the field and scored just 2 points... Ouch . But I guess being "flat" can be tough, especially when you're feeling it in a big way

Injury stats are looking concerning - 22% injury rate for rookies in their first two games is pretty steep The NBA has to find ways to protect these young players from taking too much of a hit so soon in the season . I'm keeping an eye on Flagg's progress, hope he gets treatment ASAP and can get back out there sooner than expected

Flaggs gotta shake off this rookie slump

omg what a rookie struggle cooper flagg is gonna have to work on his game ASAP!! 1-9 from 3-point range? that's not cool at all and yeah coach kidd made the right call benching him, team comes first but like, can't he try to motivate flagg a bit? maybe some words of encouragement pre-game or halftime would help him regain his confidence anyways, gotta keep an eye on that shoulder injury, fingers crossed it's not too serious

idk why ppl r makin so much a big deal about coop's benchin he was hurt, u gotta prioritize health over stats, innit? like, jason kidd said it wud b 4 the team 2 perform well & take advantage of their momentum, thats fair play. ppl dont need 2 see coop out there gettin smashed b4, that wd just b a bad look 4 the mavs. & yeah, coop's durability will def b crucial 2 their success, but u cant just force it, gotta take care 2 ur bod first

omg like coopers gotta step it up his team needs him esp during crunch time tho coach kidd made a good point but still gotta feel bad for the dude got hurt hope he recovers fast and gets scans done ASAP so he can get back on the court Weds cant come soon enough

.. can't believe how far they've fallen from the good ol' days when Dirk Nowitzki was leading them to wins . This Cooper Flagg kid reminds me of a younger version of Donny Nelson, all hype and no substance . And poor guy gets benched in crunch time, I'd be salty too . But hey, gotta give credit where credit is due, Jason Kidd's got his team's back . We'll see how Flagg recovers from that shoulder injury, hopefully he comes out stronger than a Dallas Cowboys' offense without Tony Romo

idk how ppl r expecting him 2 perform like dat w/ a shoulder injury lol coach kidd was right he didnt have his A game tonight. flagg needs 2 get that shoulder checked out ASAP, cant afford 2 have him play through pain. the mavs need him @ 100% if they wanna make some noise in the playoffs

man i feel bad for cooper flagg he was crushing it just 1 game ago and now this but you gotta respect jason kidds call coach is right we can't rely on one guy to carry us through every game still, gotta get that shoulder checked out ASAP hope coop recovers fast and gets back to his deadly form

Dude, Cooper Flagg got smashed by Dallas ! I mean, you'd think being a rookie would give him some protection from getting knocked around, but nope! Guess he's gotta learn how to take hits... or not get benched with an injury . Jason Kidd's right, though - it wasn't Flagg's fault tonight, but more like the team just didn't need his superpowers . On a serious note, hope that shoulder of his heals up quick, 'cause if he can't handle the physicality of the league, how's he gonna handle the pressure to perform?

man i'm torn about cooper flagg right now . on one hand u gotta feel for the guy he got injured and had a major letdown against okc but at the same time coach kidd made some legit points about the team having a strong supporting cast and needing to perform well as a unit . still, 2 points on 9 shots is pretty rough and it's def a concern about his durability . gotta see how he recovers from this injury and whether he can bounce back against indiana on wednesday

dude I'm not surprised at all... like, Cooper Flagg was bound to have a game like this after all the hype he got . I mean, being "flat" is a pretty vague term and coach Jason Kidd could've easily kept him in for more minutes if he wanted to. And what's with this whole "team over individual" vibe? Like, Flagg's not some rookie who can just step in and perform every night without any issues. He got injured, plain and simple.