Cooper Flagg injury revives a nightmare Mavericks know all too well

On Wednesday, it was announced that Cooper Flagg would not only last night's game against the Los Angeles Lakers but also the Rising Stars game. While he was only diagnosed with a midfoot sprain, lower-body injuries have not been kind to the Dallas Mavericks, and fans know this well, thanks to another former Duke Blue Devil, Dereck Lively II.

Earlier this season, Lively II underwent surgery to repair a right foot injury, his second surgery on this foot. Calling Flagg's and Lively II's injuries similar may be premature, as the seven-footer will miss the remainder of the season. Dallas must hope that missing time doesn't become routine for Flagg.

It's no secret that the Mavericks' roster is full of injuries, even after trading away Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards. Despite the scary amount of players who end up on the injury report at a time, perhaps the most worrying name on the injury report has been Flagg's over the last month.

Flagg must avoid Lively II comparisons at all costs after his recent injury

By no means has Flagg suffered any scary or future-concerning injuries, but anything that has to do with the foot or lower body has become a sensitive topic for Mavericks fans after Lively II's recent run of injury luck. Flagg has no doubt become the face of the franchise in his short rookie campaign, and one midfoot sprain shouldn't be anything for fans to freak out over, but if this injury persists, fans may be drawing early comparisons to Lively II.

Over the course of Lively II's rookie campaign, he managed to stay healthy when games mattered most in April, May, and June, but over the last two seasons, his injury luck has hit an all-time low. For Flagg, his list of injuries has continued to grow, but unlike Lively II, the Mavericks have an early chance to shut down any premeditation regarding Flagg's future.

Flagg has already proven more than enough in his 49 games and is yet another reason for the Mavericks to take any precautions necessary when it comes to preventing any future injuries, but more importantly, the Mavs have a chance at creating a healthy roster next season. Assuming Lively II and Kyrie Irving return over the offseason fully healthy for Dallas, the Mavericks should have their healthiest team in years.

Fans shouldn't be stressing about Flagg's latest injury news, but the Mavericks do need to have it in the back of their mind that keeping their franchise savior healthy at all costs needs to be at the top of their priority list. It's unfortunate that Lively II and Flagg couldn't share the floor for a longer period of time, especially when Flagg is still developing his game around centers, but it's important to keep the future in mind rather than forcing Flagg to play just to watch him grow.

There's too much at stake to do that.

Without Flagg on the floor, the Mavericks have mightily struggled heading into the All-Star break, but they have quietly positioned themselves to land some young assets around their franchise cornerstone in this year's draft.