Mavericks suffer Cooper Flagg nightmare that should've been avoided

On Sunday night, tragedy struck the Dallas Mavericks when Cooper Flagg went down with yet another ankle sprain during the team's final regular-season affair against the Chicago Bulls, which resulted in a 149-128 win. While most of the focus was on Dallas' projected Draft Lottery seeding throughout the night, Flagg's injury stole the show and brought into question a bigger problem about the Mavericks.

Not only were the Mavericks playing their franchise star in a meaningless game that, in all accounts, should have been thrown on purpose to try and capture a better position in the Draft Lottery, but Flagg's recurring ankle injuries are growing more concerning.

Mavericks need more blame put on them for Cooper Flagg injury

It's one thing for a star player to suffer an ankle injury in the middle of the season and another for them to get injured in a meaningless game that a team should have been trying to lose. Unfortunately for the Mavericks, they may catch the wrong end of the stick when it comes to Flagg's recent left ankle sprain.

Not only was the 19-year-old star playing a meaningless final regular-season game, but this is now his third ankle sprain, dating back to his time in college. While ankle sprains are an unfortunate reality of sports, three sprains in a year is when they start to become a concern, especially for your franchise player.

Thankfully for the Mavericks, they may have dodged a huge bullet in that Flagg now has five months to rehab his ankle, but the blame should still be placed on the team. Entering this regular season finale, Dallas should have been doing everything in their power to lose and try to beat out the Memphis Grizzlies for the sixth-best odds to win the No. 1 overall pick in this summer's draft.

Flagg's recurring injury may bring a bigger concern into question

Once again, ankle injuries are an unfortunate reality in a sport that uses as much athleticism as basketball does, but with that being said, the Mavericks cannot add any more injuries to their already injury-riddled roster. The Mavericks have perhaps the worst track record when it comes to injuries with their current roster over the last two seasons, and adding Flagg to that list of absent stars will not bode well for a team that must win next season.

Through 82 games, Flagg appeared in 69, which is a great sign that he can remain healthy through a grueling regular season, but even still, the Mavericks need to act cautiously when it comes to Flagg's body. Playing him in meaningless games such as Sunday's win against the Bulls is not the way to ensure your franchise's savior is going to have a long and healthy career.

Dallas will now shift its focus to May and June's critical draft dates, and while their season is now left to the basketball gods, Flagg made sure every basketball fan will remember his rookie season. Now the job will be left to the Mavericks to pair their 19-year-old savior with another young co-star through the draft.