Before a recent setback, Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg was a runaway favorite for the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award.
As Flagg continues to miss time due to a midfoot sprain, some of his peers are making major strides. One player, in particular, has become a major threat to Flagg’s Rookie of the Year campaign.
Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel has been Flagg’s biggest competition at this point of the season. An announcement from the NBA issued Knueppel another positive nod for his resume, which is bad news for Flagg.
NBA Makes A Kon Knueppel Announcement
via NBA: “San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper and Charlotte Hornets guard-forward Kon Knueppel have been named the Kia NBA Western and Eastern Conference Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in February.”
Since November, Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel have been the NBA’s Rookie of the Month for each conference every time.
The trend continues in the Eastern Conference for January, but San Antonio Spurs rookie Dylan Harper beat out Flagg this time around.
The Spurs guard averaged 12.5 points and 4.9 assists, while shooting 55.4% from the field.
With Knueppel finding luck in the health department, his consistency has been unmatched. The young rookie played 11 games in February, averaging 21.5 points while shooting 50% from the field. He’s knocking down threes at a 48% clip, taking 9.2 attempts per game.
Flagg appeared in just four games before going down. He produced 27.3 points per game, along with 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists, before suffering his setback on February 10.
Heading into Tuesday’s action, Flagg is in the midst of a seven-game absence streak. The door is open for a return soon, but he’s expected to miss eight in a row on Tuesday.
Former Duke Players Battle It Out
GettyCooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel are leading the NBA’s Rookie of the Year race in 2026.Â
The Duke Blue Devils must be proud this year.
After Knueppel and Flagg played for the same team at the NCAA level, the two were lottery selections in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Flagg went No. 1 to the Mavericks, which was the expected draft spot for him since his high school days. Knueppel was projected everywhere within the top 10, but he landed with the Hornets at fourth overall. He trailed Flagg, Harper, and VJ Edgecombe.
More Mavericks News: Dallas Gets New Injury Update For Hornets Game
Through his rookie season, Knueppel has appeared in 60 games for the Hornets. He produced 19.3 points per game, while shooting 48% from the field and 44% from beyond the arc.
Beyond his scoring, Knueppel has averaged 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists.
As for Flagg, he checked in for 49 games this year. The rookie is making 48% of his shots from the field and hitting on 30% of his threes, while averaging 20.4 points per game. Flagg is also producing 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
As of March 3, 2026, FanDuel marks Knueppel as the favorite for Rookie of the Year, with a line of -170. Flagg is second in line at +135. The Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe is a deep third, with a line of +10000.
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