The NBA's Rookie of the Year finalists were announced Sunday. All three had remarkable seasons, but Cooper Flagg's case is the strongest one in the room.
All season long, three names stood above the rest in the NBA Rookie of the Year conversation. On Sunday, the league made it official. Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel and Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe were named the finalists, selected by a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters.
None of that came as a surprise. These three separated themselves from the rest of the class before the calendar even hit December.
Flagg's season was historic in ways that go well beyond his averages of 21 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals. He scored 42 points against Utah in December, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to reach 40 points in a game, breaking a record LeBron James set in 2003.
He then topped that with a 51-point performance against Orlando in April, becoming the first teenager ever to score 50 points in an NBA game. He also became the first teenager to put up three consecutive 30-point games and matched Allen Iverson as the only rookie since 1997 to post back-to-back 40-point outings.
He did all of this on a 26-56 team with no established star alongside him.
Knueppel made this a legitimate race. The former Duke guard averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 42.5% from deep across 81 appearances. He became the first rookie in NBA history to lead the entire league in 3-pointers made, finishing with 273 and breaking the previous rookie record set by Keegan Murray.
He also became the fastest player ever to reach 200 career 3-pointers, doing it in just 58 games and surpassing Duncan Robinson's record of 69. He is one of only three rookies in NBA history to average 15 points and five rebounds while shooting 40% from three, joining Larry Bird and Paul Pierce.
Edgecombe rounds out the group with 16 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game across 75 appearances for Philadelphia.
He led the entire NBA in loose balls recovered and put together one of the most well-rounded rookie seasons in recent memory on a veteran-heavy roster alongside Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. He scored 35 points with seven 3-pointers in one performance, a combination no Sixers rookie had ever managed.
The race ultimately comes down to Flagg and Knueppel. Both have made history. But Flagg broke records that had stood for over two decades while carrying a losing Mavericks team every night. The winner will be announced during the playoffs. It is hard to see any other outcome.