Dallas Mavericks rookie forward Cooper Flagg is taking an optimistic approach after sustaining a left shoulder injury early in the first quarter of Monday’s 101-94 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

“We’re going to probably get some scans or whatever, make sure everything’s all clean, but I feel like it’s just a little sore. Just want to keep an eye on it, ice it, do some rehab and should be good to go,” Flagg said, via ESPN.

Flagg played 31 minutes as the Mavericks fell for the third time in four games this season. The top overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft finished with two points on 1-of-9 shooting with two rebounds before watching from the bench during the latter stages of the game.

Flagg, 18, fared much better in the first game of the back-to-back set on Sunday, recording 22 points in 29 minutes of a 139-129 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

“I think in general, one of the biggest differences from college to this level is handling and preparing for a back-to-back like that, physically,” Flagg said, via the Dallas Morning News. “That was something I was going through tonight anyway, just being a little flat. A little banged up, but you gotta find ways to play through it to be successful.”

Flagg hopes to return to the court on Wednesday when the Mavericks host the Indiana Pacers.

The NCAA National Player of the Year in his only season at Duke, Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 37 games before his one-year college career ended at the Final Four.

–Field Level Media