Kon Knueppel Surges Ahead in Heated Rookie of the Year Battle with Cooper Flagg

2026-03-04 - 22:18

The race for Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, the prize unofficially tracked week by week here at the Kia Rookie Ladder, appears to be tighter than at any previous point this season. In fact, much as the Ladder’s top two ring-holders flipped last week when Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel moved ahead of Dallas’ Cooper Flagg. In an update from Draft Kings SportsBook, Knueppel was the favorite, Flagg is now the underdog while Philadelphia’s VJ Edgecombe a distant third as a ROY candidate. Flagg for much of the season has put up bigger counting stats than his former Duke teammate, with some explosive performances (49 points vs. Charlotte, 42 at Utah, 39 with nine boards and nine assists in a thrilling victory vs. Denver). However, Knueppel has kept pace by leading the NBA in 3-pointers, already breaking the rookie record from deep and flirting with shooting accuracy worthy of the vaunted 50/40/90 club. In about six weeks, ROY voters will weigh all of their stats, along with intangibles and expectations met or missed. Then there are a couple other factors that could swing a potentially tight race. One is durability. Flagg has played in 49 of Dallas’ 61 games thus far, missing the past seven with a foot sprain. Knueppel has shown up for 61 of the Hornets’ 62. That double-digit difference in appearances is how Knueppel has surpassed Flagg in total points, rebounds and assists despite Flagg’s slight edge on a per-game basis. The second is winning. Charlotte is 31-31 after beating Dallas again Tuesday. Though, Knueppel has more than 2-0 bragging rights as the Hornets not only have won 10 more games than Dallas, they already have topped their total from last season (19). That’s the sort of improvement big-time rookies are expected to trigger. The Mavericks, by comparison, are unlikely to approach last year’s 39 victories. Even though a rookie rarely gets blamed when his team takes a step back, it’s not a common look among ROY winners. Of the last 25 Rookies of the Year, only three played on teams that won fewer games than they had the season before. Sixteen of the 25 helped their teams win at least 30 – the Mavericks are on pace to finish 28-54. Nine winners played on teams that improved by 10 victories or more, with Knueppel’s club on track to add 22 with him on board. The only ROY guys in that ballpark, of the past 25, were Ben Simmons (+24), Chris Paul (+20) and LeBron James (+18). Is winning the most important criteria for a first-year player? Probably not. But the draft is designed to deliver help to the neediest teams, and it’s not written anywhere that the help mustn’t show up in Year 1. Knueppel has more talented teammates, but his shooting range, floor IQ and fundamentals have unlocked something exciting in Charlotte. Flagg has the heavier lift, stepping into the void from Luka Dončić’s departure last season to carry the injury-riddled Mavericks. His individual game at both ends is flashier than his former Blue Devils roommate’s. But in a league that values efficiency and has never been very patient with losing, Knueppel’s instant impact for a new playoff aspirant might be enough to claim the award.