Cooper Flagg’s debut for the Dallas Mavericks wasn’t up to the mark. We’re not the only ones to think so; the No. 1 overall pick himself admitted that. However, on Saturday, Flagg showed everyone exactly why he’s tipped to be the cornerstone of this franchise and also why he’s viewed as a generational talent. The 18-year-old erupted against the San Antonio Spurs in the Las Vegas Summer League showdown. Flagg scored 31 points in just 31 minutes of action. Yes, you’re reading that right.

Although the Mavericks fell to the Spurs 76-69, Flagg scored nearly half of his team’s total in an impressive performance. He shot 10 of 21 from the field along with four rebounds and an assist. Doesn’t this make you want to switch on your TV or, better yet, attend Dallas’ next Summer League game?

However, sorry to disappoint. According to NBA Insider Marc Stein, the Dallas Mavericks are planning to shut down the 18-year-old superstar for the rest of the Summer League. “The Mavericks are shutting down Cooper Flagg for the remainder of Summer League, according to @TheSteinLine.” This is absolutely devastating news for the Dallas supporters. In fact, all the fans who we’re brimming with excitement at the idea of watching the No. 1 pick play for the first time in front of their eyes. 

Although there’s no clarity as to why the Mavericks management has taken this extreme measure, it seems like a precaution. We all know that Dallas is hoping to make a deep playoff run next season. They have Anthony Davis and are hoping that Kyrie Irving will be back at some point later during the campaign.

So, the last thing they’d want to see is Cooper Flagg getting injured even before the regular season tips off. After all, they’ve seen what the former Duke sensation can do.

So, this decision makes a lot of sense from the Dallas Mavericks’ perspective. We mean, why would they want to put pressure on the youngster unnecessarily with such a big season awaiting them? However, for the fans, it stings, and they were quick to react to this surprising news. “The moment I come down to Las Vegas for the Summer League, the Mavs shut down Cooper Flagg,” a fan wrote. It seems like he traveled all the way to Vegas to witness Flagg in action for the first time, only to be devastated by this news. 

However, he isn’t the only fan who took to social media to show his frustration about the Mavericks’ sudden decision; other fans followed soon, with many claiming Lakers guard Bronny influenced this move.

Fans express their thoughts on Dallas’ decision to shut down Cooper Flagg

The news of Cooper Flagg being shut down after just playing two games in the Summer League has taken the NBA world by storm. While this seems to be a precautionary measure by the Dallas Mavericks, fans cannot help but find a bit of humor in the decision. We all know that the entire week, the most hyped up game in the Summer League was between the Lakers and the Mavericks.

After all, for the first time, we got to see Cooper Flagg go head-to-head with Bronny James. While both players put up respectable performances, fans are now claiming that Bronny is the reason why Flagg’s been shut down. “Bronny locked his a– up, Dallas had to make a business decision.” That’s what a fan claimed after Dallas’ surprising move. Although Bronny did show up against Flagg, to say that he locked him would be an overstatement. However, it seems like the entire Lakers Nation shares this view, with another account commenting, “Bronny got bro shut down.”

It seems like the Lakers fans are pretty hyped up after seeing the sophomore guard look confident and much better in the Summer League than last season. “Bronny shut the number one pick down,” another fan wrote. Bronny did finish the night with eight points, two rebounds, and two assists in just 21 minutes. But did he lock down Flagg? We mean, the 18-year-old forward finished with 10 points, six rebounds, and four assists. However, that didn’t matter because LA fans went as far as joking about Dallas trading Flagg for James.

“Maybe they’ll trade him to the Lakers for Bronny James.” This is what a user wrote. It looks like the Lakers are pretty confident in Bronny James’ abilities after watching him hoop this season. Nonetheless, jokes apart, does this seem like a clever move by the Mavericks or are they being too cautious?