Cooper Flagg has been out since Fe. No. 12, who suffered a left midfoot sprain and will return to the Mavericks lineup Thursday night against Orlando, here’s a story First reported by Marc Stein since Confirmed by others.
Flagg missed eight games, during which the Mavericks went 2-6. Flagg will reportedly be on a minutes restriction upon his return, as expected, but those minutes will increase in future games Mike Curtis, The Dallas Morning News.
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The biggest impact of Flagg’s absence — and his potential return — may be in the race for Rookie of the Year.
Midway through the season, Flagg and his Duke teammate, Con Knuppel of Charlotte, were in a near-death race for Rookie of the Year. Since then, Flagg has missed a significant amount of time (he has played 13 fewer games than Knuupel), while Knuupel has been scoring efficiently and leading the Hornets up the Eastern Conference standings into the playoffs. Knupper began the race firmly in the lead.
Flagg has about six weeks left in the season to change that dynamic. Whether he can do it or not, at least he’s back on the court.
