Mavericks' perfect Cooper Flagg era plan is disintegrating as injuries pile up

Cooper Flagg might already be the de facto go-to scorer of the Dallas Mavericks as an 18-year-old kid. He missed an opportunity at a game-tying shot against the New Orleans Pelicans recently, but the others haven't been hitting in clutch time either. Flagg was supposed to develop a rapid relationship with his fellow Duke alum, Dereck Lively II, and take over the NBA. But one obvious problem is that Lively II hasn't been playing basketball.

And it doesn't sound like he will be any time soon.

Flagg wasn't supposed to take over Luka Doncic's role, but he's supposed to fit in well with Lively II on pick-and-rolls and become a dangerous one-two punch that the rest of the West fears. The Mavs' season is already crashing and burning, and it just got worse. Lively II is set to miss an extended period of time, as he is having swelling and discomfort in his right foot. This is the same foot that he had surgery on over the offseason, and this many injuries to a young 7-footer could prove to be disastrous.

Mavericks can't rely on Dereck Lively II to be Cooper Flagg's co-star

This isn't the news Dallas needed, and it's not the news Flagg needed. He needs as many true bigs as he can to work around him. The plan to give Flagg and Lively II reps together was golden, and that's not only disappearing, it's also disintegrating in real time.

If Lively II's rookie season could play on repeat for years to come, Mavs fans would love that. The three-year man from Duke only played 36 games last season, and he's only played in seven games this season. This has become a problem and has since prompted trade chatter among fans involving Lively II. Anthony Davis has already been in trade talks, telling us the organization wants to focus on Flagg's development and the future.

Fans wouldn't want to see Lively II go. He's got so much more to bring to the table. He's been flirting with a deep-range shot since the end of his rookie season, and fans have been waiting to see it, but they can't see it if Lively II is in street clothes more than he is in blue and white.

Flagg isn't Doncic, but he's a similar player that he was as a rookie in terms of dominating as a teenager. Lively II's defense is great enough, but on the other side, he's got a great body to go up for lobs and get great positioning from the accuracy of Flagg's passes.

Last year was supposed to be Lively II's sophomore leap, but the injuries put him out of those conversations. This is not a great start to the season for him, and at this point in his career, he's not a franchise cornerstone because of his injury history.

Having Lively II and Daniel Gafford on your team is a good problem to have. However, Lively II's injuries might see Gafford take over as the full-time starter at center if they have to trade Lively II. It wouldn't be a move that fans would like, as they have seen Lively II as the true starter when comparing him to Gafford, but it might be a necessary sacrifice.

The good news is that once Lively II is healthy, we should get a glimpse of what Flagg can do with the former Duke big man. It's too much of a cheat code not to use, but if Lively II isn't playing as often as he should, then we can expect that cheat code for Flagg to end before it even begins.