Cooper Flagg injury update, Cooper Flagg injury return date, Dallas Mavericks Orlando Magic game, Mavericks injury report, Cooper Flagg Rookie of the Year odds, Kon Knueppel Rookie of the Year odds
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The latest Dallas Mavericks' Cooper Flagg injury update signals the Rookie of the Year candidate could return Thursday vs. the Orlando Magic.
The Dallas Mavericks have been slowly waiting for a Cooper Flagg injury update that signals his return to action, and the latest news means the rookie sensation is even closer to getting back on the court with his latest foot injury.
After first being listed as questionable, and then a game-time decision for theMavericks’ Thursday night game against the Orlando Magic, Flagg is now set to return for Dallas.
“BREAKING: The expectation in Orlando now is that Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg WILL indeed play tonight for the first time in nine games,”NBA insider Marc Stein wrote in a post on X.
While Flagg was set to be out for a longer period, he was upgraded from out to doubtful forDallas’ last game against the Charlotte Hornets,set for a showdown versus Rookie of the Year award foe and former college teammate Kon Knueppel. Now, after being originally listed as questionable, therookie will make his return
Mavericks Get Cooper Flagg Injury Update
The foot injury has kept Flagg out for nearly a month, as he last played for the Mavericks on February 10th,and missedout on the All-Star Break festivities.
However, first doubtful, then questionable, and now set to return, Flagg will get back on the court after being out with the foot injury for four weeks.
Along with sharing the news aboutFlagg’s injury status against the Magic, Stein also commented on his status for Dallas‘Friday night game against the Boston Celtics, in which franchise star Jayson Tatumis expected to make his stunning return from a torn Achilles injury suffered just ten months ago.
Shams Charania
BREAKING: Boston Celtics All-NBA star Jayson Tatum will play this season and could make his debut on Friday against the Dallas Mavericks – less than 10 months after surgery for a ruptured Achilles tendon.
“I’m told a determination on Flagg playing Friday at Boston — even if he plays tonight — has yet to be made,”Stein wrote on X.
WhileFlagg’s injury updateshaven’t come often, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd recently commented on therookie’s status after hewas ruled out of theteam’s previous game against Charlotte.
“He’s ramping up,”Kidd said. “Everything is going well.Today wastokind of get back in his routine, and hopefully, as we go on this road trip, he can get in and play a game or two.”
For now, Flagg still has an uncertain injury status for Thursday, but a return against the Magic or Celtics in the next two days looks to be on the table.
In 49 games this season, Flagg is averaging 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists on 48.2% shooting.
Cooper Flagg Rookie of the Year Odds
Heading into the season, Flagg was a heavy favorite to win theRookie of the Year award for 2025-26. Knueppel overtook the Dallas first-year forward for a brief period, but then, after some strong performances, Flagg once again had the highest odds to win the award.
However, since his injurythat has sidelined him for eight games, Knueppel is now theRookie of the Yearfavorite. Not to say that Flagghasn’t had a stellar first NBA season, but theHornets’ wing recently set therookie three-point record, while becoming the quickest player in league history to reach 200 threes.
Charlotte also has a much better record than Dallas, and while the two look to be the top rookies outright this season, Knueppel has the best odds to win Rookie of the Year. But if Flagg does return to his pre-injury form, the race could come down to the final games of the regular season.
As of March 5th, Knueppel is a -180 favorite to win Rookie of the Year, while Flagg is the underdog at +145 odds, according to DraftKings.