Cooper Flagg
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Cooper Flagg has been a bright spot for the Mavericks this season
It is that time of year again.
The NBA regular season is coming to a close. It is time to start locking in our picks to win every major award and honor.
Among the very hotly debated awards is the Rookie of the Year. This year is perhaps producing the loudest discourse professional basketball has seen in a while.
Thanks to Dallas Mavericks star Cooper Flagg and Charlotte Hornets star Kon Knueppel, the Rookie of the Year race will truly come down to the wire with a strong case for each player.
But who will grab the lead as the final weeks of the regular season go by?
Cooper Flagg Continues to Lag Behind Kon Knueppel
Entering the 2025-26 season, it was a foregone conclusion for many that Flagg, the top pick in last year’s NBA Draft, would run away with the Rookie of the Year award.
But Knueppel has had something to say about that all season. He hasn’t just assembled stretches of elite play here and there, the Hornets sharpshooter has been a vital piece in Charlotte’s stunning turnaround since the start of the calendar year. And that has exactly been the biggest notch so far in his case to take home this year’s award.
It is safe to say Knuppel has grabbed everyone’s attention. On this week’s Kia Rookie of the Year ladder by NBA.com, the 20-year-old Hornets stay maintained his No. 1 spot. He has taken the cake for the fifth week in a row.
It is incredible seeing Knueppel gain a borderline stranglehold on the odds for this award considering how he was viewed entering this season. While he was selected in the top five in last year’s draft, players like Flagg — whom Knueppel served as the second-option to last season at Duke University — and Philadelphia’s VJ Edgecombe were viewed as the clear-cut stronger prospects with higher chances of claiming Rookie of the Year honors.
Along with star guard LaMelo Ball, Knueppel has been the driving force behind Charlotte already doubling its win total from a season ago — and there are still 10 games left on the schedule.
Knueppel is averaging 19.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game on an uber-efficient 43.6% clip from 3-point range.
Since Jan. 1, the Hornets boast an impressive 27-12 record, with Knueppel recording at least 20 points 17 times over that stretch. He has also had 16 games in which he has connected on at least four 3-pointers over that time.
Does Flagg Still Have a Case?
Mavericks fans probably haven’t been vibing with this article. That if they have even read this far.
Flagg is still viewed by many as the player with the highest ceiling out of any player in this year’s or last year’s draft class. And even some before then. He possesses generational-quality talent and is the dream kind of player in the modern NBA. A tall, athletic forward with a three-level game and solid defensive chops.
On the season, the 19-year-old Dallas star is posting the better traditional numbers compared to Knueppel. Flagg is averaging 20.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game on 47.2% shooting from the floor.
Flagg has the better individual numbers, but Knueppel has team success working in his favor.
But that is another turning point in this conversation.
Clearly, Knueppel is in a much stronger situation than his rookie counterpart. Flagg is virtually stranded in Dallas right now. No second option, no star veteran to count on, no roster stability, fans still clowning the franchise for trading Luka Doncic (even if that seismic trade helped land Flagg with the Mavs), Anthony Davis getting traded midseason for little return.
So much has gone south in Dallas over the last year. Unfortunately, that will probably end up hurting Flagg in the Rookie of the Year race simply because Knueppel is getting more shine and is receiving a more impactful role.
Still, nothing is decided until it is all said and done.
Flagg could rip off a stunning stretch to close the regular season and reclaim the top spot on the ladder.
For now, Knueppel reigns supreme.