Cooper Flagg Reportedly Shut Down for Rest of NBA Summer League After 2 Games for Mavs

NBA fans will reportedly have to wait until the preseason to see Cooper Flagg in game action again.

After the Dallas Mavericks rookie was dominant during Saturday's 76-69 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Summer League, NBA insider Marc Stein (16:25 mark) reported he will not play again in Las Vegas.

"I have confirmed this was Cooper Flagg's last appearance in the Summer League," Stein said. "He is not scheduled to play Monday."

The Mavericks clearly saw what they needed from the Duke product during the game against the Spurs.

He poured in 31 points on 10-of-21 shooting from the field and 3-of-9 shooting from deep, which was a notable improvement in efficiency from his Summer League debut when he went 5-of-21 from the floor and 0-of-5 from three-point range. 

Flagg also impressed as a point forward at times, especially when he was operating pick-and-rolls and attacking the basket. It was a sign of things to come for someone who can be a matchup nightmare for opposing frontcourts who will need to deal with his combination of size and athleticism.

That the Mavericks are shutting him down at this point is also notable because they want to keep him fresh for what will be a much longer season than he is accustomed to from the collegiate level.

"I think I've been solid. I'm exhausted," Flagg said, per Kelly Iko and Jared Weiss of The Athletic. "I'm not used to bringing the ball up like that. Had somebody on my hip every time I brought the ball up the court 94 feet. I think I did a solid job of bringing it up against pressure and setting up different actions."

Dallas may ask him to handle the ball more than he is used to early in the season while it waits for Kyrie Irving to return from his ACL injury.

But it will also ideally reach a point where Flagg will be surrounded by notable veterans who will take much of the pressure off him during his rookie season. With Irving, Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson and D'Angelo Russell on the roster, there will be times when the No. 1 pick is not one of the primary options.

And that should help keep him fresher as well as the season continues, which is clearly a priority if the team is shutting him down at Summer League.