Entering the 2025-26 NBA season, Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg was the obvious favorite to win the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award, and rightfully so. Since high school, Flagg has been one of the highest-regarded prospects in basketball, and he continued this success through college at Duke. 

Being the clear No. 1 overall pick, the draft lottery essentially became the “Cooper Flagg sweepstakes.” Now, just a few games into the season, Flagg has some serious competition for the award. 

The Philadelphia 76ers drafted Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe in what was a somewhat controversial selection at pick No. 3. With Rutgers star Ace Bailey on the board, many thought that the Sixers should have drafted him. 

Edgecombe was easily one of the most athletic prospects in recent years, but there were questions about how well he would be able to transition into an NBA-ready player. That said, through three games, Edgecombe has not only looked NBA-ready, but he’s had one of the best starts to his career in NBA history. 

In his debut, he scored 34 points, which was the third most in a player’s debut in NBA history, and the most in 76ers history. This sparked a lot of hype for Edgecombe, but it was just one game and would have been premature to draw any long-term conclusions about him. 

Now, however, after following that performance up with 15 points in his second game and 26 points in his third, he has shown very few signs of weakness. Additionally, he’s averaged 7.5 APG over his last two games, which shows how well he’s played as a playmaker as well. 

Just watching the way he’s able to control a game and handle himself as a rookie is enough to know that we’re watching a developing star, and he has the stats to back it up. As for Flagg and Bailey, while they were both great prospects, it’s been taking them a bit longer to adjust to the NBA level. 

For the Mavericks, Flagg has averaged 13.0 PPG and 5.2 RPG, scoring just two points in his last outing on 1-9 shooting from the field. While Flagg hasn’t necessarily had a poor start to his season, Edgecombe has simply been lights-out, averaging 25.0 PPG, 6.0 APG, and 5.7 RPG on 50% shooting from the field. 

The current gap between the two at the NBA level is evident, and while it could close relatively quickly, it shouldn’t be a question who’s in a better position to win the award currently. To make matters more impressive for Edgecombe, he’s been averaging this stat line while Tyrese Maxey, his duo in the backcourt, is averaging 37.0 PPG. 

Bailey has been playing limited minutes in his first few games due to an illness, but he’s averaging just 2.7 PPG on 15.8% shooting, making him a non-factor in the Rookie of the Year race as of now. 

Again, it is still early, but it’s undeniable how incredible Edgecombe has played this season. This isn’t to say that Flagg can’t hit a hot streak and take the spotlight eventually, but as it stands, Edgecombe should absolutely be the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year.