[T](https://wgme.com/sports/content/mainer-cooper-flagg-named-nba-western-conference-rookie-of-the-month-again)he coolest thing anyone on Duke’s team last year said was when someone asked Cooper Flagg what he would take to a desert island. He said “some food, a gun…Kon Knueppel.”
They are very good friends and were roommates at Duke. Now, they’re the two primary candidates for NBA Rookie of the Year and now, for the second month in a row, Flagg was named NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month while Knueppel was again named the Eastern Conference primo rookie.
This is the most interesting NBA Rookie of the Year race since Magic Johnson and Larry Bird dueled for the honor in 1980 (Bird won). And the thing is, it’s still not clear who will win it.
Knueppel started brilliantly and has only gotten better. While Flagg started slowly when the Dallas Mavericks played him out of position at point guard, he’s been a monster since Jason Kidd moved him back to the frontcourt.
There’s a sense now that Flagg has moved past Knueppel, but realistically, they’re probably still pretty close, at least in perception.
It’s fun for the league and for fans, but perhaps most of all for Duke fans. It’s also lagniappe for Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer, who no doubt is pointing out to potential recruits that this, too, could be you.