Flagg's Shoulder Turns a Bad Opening Week Into a Worse One

Dallas lost its opener at Houston 128-110, and two days later Cooper Flagg left the court holding his left shoulder after a flagrant foul on a breakaway. That's the week the Mavericks had. No timeline has been reported for Flagg's return, so for now the franchise piece of Dusty May's rebuild is simply out.

The Flagg injury lands on a roster that was already carrying structural weight up front. Moussa Cisse is the only center who has played meaningful minutes, and he hasn't been producing at a level you'd expect from a starter. There's no real backup behind him — I've been noting that gap since training camp opened. The Mavericks came into the season thin at center and are now without their best forward too.

Kyrie Irving, Zaccharie Risacher, P.J. Washington, and the rest of the forwards will absorb more responsibility until there's clarity on Flagg. That's a workable group for a game or two, less so for an extended stretch. My read is the next ten days are about damage control — staying close enough in the standings that Flagg's return, whenever it comes, still means something.