Cooper Flagg battling nagging injuries, should Mavericks fans be concerned?

The Dallas Mavericks' struggles continued in a 123-144 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night. Losers of five of their last six games, the Mavericks now sit at a lowly 3-9, tied for the fifth-worst record in the NBA.

Injuries are starting to pile up, with Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II joining Kyrie Irving on the sideline. Irving continues to recover from a season-ending ACL injury last year.

To add to the woes, No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg is fighting through a pair of injuries. Flagg sprained his right thumb on Monday night and is still dealing with left shoulder pain from an ailment that originally occurred against Oklahoma City on October 27.

With his thumb heavily taped, Flagg re-injured his shoulder while getting tied up with Phoenix's Grayson Allen in the first half. Flagg briefly exited to the locker room but was able to return to the court.

Regardless, it's clear he's not fully himself.

Cooper Flagg Admits He's "A Little Banged Up"

Following the loss to the Suns, Flagg admitted that he's banged up. He didn't go as far as to say he's dealing with injuries, but the two ailments are certainly making an impact.

Flagg is still adjusting to the rigorous NBA schedule, which is much more strenuous than college or high school basketball.

"No injuries. I'm a little banged up," Flagg said, according to The Smoking Cuban's Noah Weber. "It's a lot of games, it's a little different, not as much time in-between, so I think bodies adjusting. I'm getting with strength coaches, medical staff, everybody, and I'll be alright."

Flagg revealed that he suffered a shoulder stinger on Wednesday night. He reaggravated the injury that has been bothering him for nearly three weeks.

At the same time, Flagg believes it's nothing he can't play through.

"I was trying to like swipe through to try and go up, and he had just kind of hit, or grabbed, or something happened, and my arm just got a little yanked," Flagg said. "Just a little stinger, it hurt for a little minute."

"I think that's [reaggravating] part of it," Flagg added. "Body's a little run down, got some nagging stuff going on, but nothing we can't play through, so just got to keep pushing, keep going."

Cooper Flagg gives an update on the minor injuries he’s dealing with:

“No injuries, I’m a little banged up…I’ll be alright.”

Flagg said his arm got yanked in the first quarter, and that’s why he went back to the locker room.

He said that his shoulder pain is something that… pic.twitter.com/MEf3S54Uww
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) November 13, 2025

It's worth noting that Flagg did undergo imaging on the shoulder a few weeks ago. The Mavericks have yet to list him on the injury report due to the shoulder issue, deferring to the thumb ailment instead.

One thing that may be comforting is that Dallas is taking a careful approach with Anthony Davis, who is recovering from a calf strain after previously dealing with bilateral Achilles tendinopathy. Davis won't play again until medical staff can confirm he's not at risk of reinjury.

That suggests the Mavericks wouldn't be putting Flagg on the court if there was a concern his shoulder could get worse. After all, the No. 1 overall pick is the future of the franchise.

Flagg has started in all 12 of Dallas' regular-season games. He's averaging 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.4 steals in 32.8 minutes per contest.

The Mavericks return to action against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, November 14. The contest will tip-off at 8:30 p.m. ET.

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