ESPN just delivered the Cooper Flagg injury update Mavericks desperately needed

Dallas Mavericks star rookie Cooper Flagg suffered a left midfoot sprain last Tuesday night against the Phoenix Suns, but Mavs fans have nothing to worry about if the latest report from ESPN's Tim MacMahon is true. Flagg was seen in a walking boot over the weekend, which startled fans, but he is going to be just fine.

According to MacMahon, a team source briefed him that Flagg is expected to be available right after the All-Star break. This midfoot sprain caused him to miss last week's game against the Los Angeles Lakers and this weekend's Rising Stars Game, but it sounds like Flagg's absence ends here.

He has only missed five games all season, and assuming he plays against the Minnesota Timberwolves this Friday, it'll stay this way. Flagg's durability has been one of his many strengths as a teenage rookie, and keeping him healthy for the rest of the season should be Dallas' top priority.

Cooper Flagg should be ready to return in no time

They've fully committed to making Flagg their franchise cornerstone after trading Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards at the trade deadline, and they'll go as far as he goes. He is the key to Dallas becoming a playoff team once again, and this begins next season.

The Mavericks are too far behind to make an end-of-season run this year, as they are 19-35 on the season and seven games back from the Play-In Tournament. Dallas made their direction clear after trading Davis, and they are focused on building for the future around Flagg rather than competing for a title right now.

The Mavericks believe highly in their star duo of Kyrie Irving and Flagg, and Flagg is turning into one of the best young players in the NBA in front of everyone's eyes. He has what it takes to get Dallas back to where they want to be, but he must stay healthy to do this.

He has suffered a few injuries this season, including an ankle sprain, wrist injury, and midfoot sprain, and Dallas has to be cautious before bringing him back.

Dallas has been one of the most injured teams in the entire league over the last season, and they can't afford for Flagg to get hit with the injury bug. He has done an incredible job of staying healthy this season, and the Mavericks must ensure that this continues for years to come.

This all starts with injury management and him working on his body often, and Dallas has to control what they can control and be careful before bringing him back from his current injury. The Mavericks don't need to be rushing him back by any means, as winning some extra games this season will not benefit them.

They need to prioritize lottery positioning in order to find Flagg a co-star, and while they shouldn't shut down Flagg in an effort to bottom out, they should only bring him back if he's 110 percent healthy. Development is more important than anything as Dallas wraps up the season, and as Mavs fans know better than anyone, Flagg gets better with every game that he plays.

This trend of improvement should continue for the remainder of the season, especially since Flagg's injury isn't serious, according to ESPN, and he should be back on the floor right after the All-Star break.