Can Cooper Flagg secure Rookie of the Year, or will his former teammate Kon Knueppel steal the spotlight?
Entering the 2025-26 NBA season, Cooper Flagg was hyped as a generational rookie — and through the first half of the year, he’s lived up to much of that promise.
Yet one Bleacher Report bold prediction suggests that there is someone that will edge him out for the Rookie of the Year Award at the end of the season. For Dallas Mavericks fans, that narrative doesn’t take anything away from what Flagg has already accomplished — it just underscores how special this rookie class has been.
In a recent piece by BR's Grant Hughes, he makes some bold predictions after the All-Star festivities, and of them is that he thinks Charlotte Hornets star rookie Kon Knueppel will beat his former Duke teammate for ROTY.
Let's take a look at some of the numbers.
Flagg is averaging around 20 points, six rebounds, and four assists per game over his first 49 games, including a historic 49-point performance that set the record for most points ever by a teenager in NBA history. That game wasn’t just a flash in the pan: he’s shown elite scoring, passing, and rebounding for a 19-year-old thrust into a leading role with the Mavs amid injuries.
Knueppel, the No. 4 overall pick, isn’t far behind — and in some key categories, he leads the rookie field. He’s been averaging around 19 points and five rebounds per game.
But it is his shooting that really sets him apart, as he is putting up 48 percent from the field, 43 percent from three, and 90 percent from the line. All of these numbers combine to form a shooting performance virtually unheard of from a first year player.
Flagg’s counting numbers — especially scoring and assists — remain elite, but his shooting percentages tell a different story. Through much of the season, he’s shot below the three-point percentages Knueppel boasts.
In the end, this ROTY debate is a win for Dallas — it keeps national eyes on Flagg and underscores just how exciting the Mavericks’ future could be with him at the center. Whether he takes home Rookie of the Year or not, Cooper’s first season already has the makings of a franchise-defining campaign.
But regardless of how impressive Knueppel has been, Dallas fans want to see their star youngster take home the hardware.