Cooper Flagg is nearing his return, but is unlikely to play against Kon Knuepel

Dallas Mavericks an arrow Cooper Flagg has missed the last seven games with a foot injury, leaving his Rookie of the Year prospects in serious doubt heading into the final seven weeks of the season. Tuesday night’s road matchup against the Charlotte Hornets would give him a chance to one-up his former Duke roommate Knuppel couldhis biggest competition for the aforementioned award. Flagg is not expected to plead guilty at the Spectrum Center, but his return is inevitable.

“Mavericks coach Jason Kidd has already announced that Flagg, who plays Tuesday in Charlotte in another Rookie of the Year showdown against the Hornets’ Kon Knuepel, is ‘probably not’ in the game … but stay tuned,” NBA correspondent Marc Stein writes in his teaser. “The game that surely means just as much to Flagg from Maine — Dallas’ only visit of the season to Boston — is Friday night.”

The 19-year-old sprained his left midfoot against the Phoenix Suns on Feb. 10 and is certainly getting anxious after being shut down on the sidelines. Dallas doesn’t mind improving its NBA draft lottery odds while Flagg recovers, but the organization understands how much the TD Garden game means to the New England native. Although a sea of ​​green will still fill the arena, the Mavs phenom is sure to receive a warm welcome in Boston.

Cooper Flagg is scoring a rookie-leading 20.4 points per contest while shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 30.2 percent from 3-point range. He is also averaging 6.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.2 steals in 49 games. Knueppel emerges as the new favorite of ROTI after making history beyond the arcbut one cannot underestimate the baggage the first overall pick had to carry amid the Mavericks’ injury woes and organizational shenanigans.

Flagg will ideally gain vital experience after facing great adversity in his first NBA season. He doesn’t need to win any hardware this year to know he has a promising career ahead of him. If the teenager can only keep getting better and finish the campaign strongly, both he and the franchise will be delighted going into the summer.

ClutchPoints will keep you updated on the latest Flagg related injury information.