While the hype around this year’s rookie class has always seemed focused on Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, there is a growing feeling that, in the end, it won’t be Flagg who brings home the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award.
Despite all the push toward Flagg and the overwhelming amount of attention he gets on a team that has openly been tanking this season, the smart money is starting to move toward Charlotte Hornets rookie guard/forward Kon Knueppel.
The Ringer’s Bill Simmons recently made an impassioned argument for Knueppel over Flagg for Rookie of the Year.
“I can’t believe Flagg is favored over Kon, who’s the 2nd best guy on a playoff team that’s going to win 46-47 games, and he’s going to lead the league in 3s,” Simmons said. “I think he’s the key to that team in a lot of ways because he’s the only one who really moves and the gravity he brings with him from other teams. Otherwise, you just have a lot of guys watching Lamelo Ball dribble around. I love Flagg, he’s fantastic, but he’s doing this on basically a tanking lottery team that’s going to win 25 games … if you want to vote for that, fine. But you have a situation of a rookie (in Knueppel) who is having a historic season for a team that’s been one of the best teams in the league for 45 games now. For me, it’s like a no-brainer. I would take Kon.”
Cooper Flagg Clear Favorite for Rookie of the Year
Oddsmakers still have Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, as the clear favorite over Knueppel, who was the No. 4 overall pick after they played their 1 season of college basketball together at Duke.
On DraftKings, Flagg’s odds stood at (-190) vs. Knueppel (+145) headed into the final regular-season game of the year on Sunday, when the Hornets play the Chicago Bulls and the Mavericks play the New York Knicks.
“Has No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg done enough to completely flip the Rookie of the Year race?” Sports Illustrated’s Peter Dewey wrote on April 11. “After a 33-point game against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night, Flagg is now a -175 favorite in the odds at DraftKings to win Rookie of the Year over his college teammate Kon Knueppel. There is a real case for both players to win this award. Flagg has been forced into a lead role for a struggling Dallas team, and he’s thrived in it, averaging 21.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 29.6 percent from 3.”
Kon Knueppel Made NBA History as Rookie
Knueppel is shooting 42.7 percent on 3-pointers, and his 270 3-pointers headed into the regular-season finale are already the NBA rookie record. He also reached 250 career 3-pointers faster than any player in NBA history.
Most importantly, he’s been a key to a stunning turnaround for the Hornets, who are 43-38 headed into the regular-season finale after going 19-63 last season.
They’ll also be in the playoffs for the 1st time in a decade. Charlotte hadn’t seen the postseason since losing in the 1st round in 2016 and hasn’t advanced past the 1st round since 2002.
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