Cooper Flagg Exits Finale With Ankle Injury, Closing Out Rookie Season
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Dallas Mavericks rookie forward Cooper Flagg will miss the remainder of the season after spraining his left ankle during Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Chicago Bulls.
The incident occurred early in the second quarter of Dallas’ 149-128 home victory on April 12. Flagg rolled the ankle when he came down from an attempted tip-in between two Bulls defenders. Limping as play continued, the Mavericks intentionally fouled to stop the clock, allowing the 19-year-old to leave the floor with 10:11 to go before halftime. Team officials ruled him out shortly afterward.
Flagg, the No. 1 overall draft pick and a leading contender for Rookie of the Year, ends his debut campaign with averages of 21.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals across 70 games. He topped Dallas in total points, rebounds, assists and steals and finished just five blocks behind center Daniel Gafford for the club lead.
The Rookie of the Year vote is expected to be closely contested between Flagg and former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel. Knueppel, now with the Charlotte Hornets, posted 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while setting a rookie record with a league-best 273 made three-pointers.
Source: ESPN
