Cooper Flagg was named NBA Rookie of the Year on Monday over fellow finalist and former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel, making the first time gamers from the similar school workforce completed first and second in voting.
Flagg joined the Dallas Mavericks as the No. 1 decide in final yr’s NBA Draft with monumental expectations that he largely met throughout a standout rookie marketing campaign.
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Flagg developed into the Mavericks’ greatest participant and completed the season with averages of 21 factors, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks per sport whereas capturing 46.8% from the area and 29.5% from the 3-point line. He beat out Knueppel in what was largely seen as a two-man race for the award down the stretch of the common season.
Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe was a finalist for the award alongside Flagg and Knueppel.
Flagg is the second-youngest participant in league historical past to say the Rookie of the Year award, behind solely LeBron James. His race with Kneuppel was the second-closest end since the present voting format began throughout the 2002-03 marketing campaign. Flagg earned 12 extra first-place votes than Knueppel did, and solely beat him by 26 whole factors.
Knueppel, the No. 4 decide in the draft by the Charlotte Hornets, exceeded expectations as one of the league’s most effective shooters throughout his personal standout rookie marketing campaign. He averaged 18.5 factors, 5.3 rebounds and three.4 assists whereas capturing 47.5% from the area and 42.5% on 7.9 3-point makes an attempt per sport.
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Knueppel’s 273 made 3s have been the most in the NBA. His improvement helped the Hornets enhance from 19-63 in 2024-25 to 44-38 in 2025-26. Charlotte was one of the league’s hottest groups in the NBA after the All-Star break and finally made the play-in earlier than dropping to the Orlando Magic with a playoff spot on the line.
While Knueppel’s effectivity and influence on successful have been notable, voters finally acknowledged Flagg’s all-around efficiency in awarding him Rookie of the Year.
Flagg is the third Maverick to win Rookie of the Year, becoming a member of Jason Kidd (1995, tied with Grant Hill) and Luka Dončić (2019). The beautiful commerce of Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers throughout the 2024-25 season set the stage for Flagg to win be a part of the Mavericks and win the award in Dallas.
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The Mavericks fell to the lottery after the commerce and secured the No. 1 decide regardless of being tied for the third-lowest odds in the lottery to win it (1.8% to safe No. 1 decide). Now they’ve a brand new franchise cornerstone and Rookie of the Year winner in Flagg, whom they hope will assist lead them again into championship rivalry after a contentious stretch in the aftermath of the Dončić commerce.