Cooper Flagg won the NBA Rookie of the Year award Monday, narrowly beating his former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel in one of the closest races in recent memory.
Flagg, 19, became the first rookie since Michael Jordan in 1984-85 to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals. He finished the season averaging 21.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals in 70 games while setting several records for a teenager.
Flagg’s late-season surge helped seal the vote. He scored 96 points over two games on the penultimate weekend of the season, including a 51-point game — the first 50-point game by a teenager in NBA history. He also had multiple 45-plus point games, a mark matched only by Jordan among rookies since the 1976-77 merger.
Knueppel put together a standout rookie year as well. He led the league with 273 made 3-pointers, averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists, and shot 42.5% from long range. His shooting and play helped Charlotte improve by 25 wins and reach the play-in tournament.
“I see the games every night. I can check the box scores,” Flagg said when asked how close of an eye he kept on Knueppel. “I think also I was watching Kon just because that’s one of my brothers. We had such a good connection, and we’re gonna be there for each other for the rest of our lives. I was watching him as a fan as well, but there was obviously that competition at the same time.”
The voting was very tight. One hundred reporters and broadcasters cast ballots, with five points for first place, three for second and one for third. Only 26 points separated Flagg and Knueppel. The two were the top rookie scorers, the first pair of former college teammates to finish first and second in rookie scoring since 2004-05.
Flagg joined a rebuilding Mavericks team that struggled through injuries and roster changes. Dallas slipped to 26-56 and returned to the lottery, leaving Flagg with a heavier than expected workload. “I think you talk about pressure and things like that, this season was a lot different going into it and what I was expecting and how the season ended up turning out,” Flagg said. “I think dealing with that and adjusting and kind of getting thrown in on the fly right away like that helped me long-term and throughout the season just getting really comfortable. I think I grew in a lot of different areas.”
The rookie award was one of several NBA honors announced since the regular season ended. Other recent winners include Victor Wembanyama as Defensive Player of the Year, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as Clutch Player of the Year, Keldon Johnson as Sixth Man of the Year, Derrick White as Sportsmanship Award winner and Nickeil Alexander-Walker as Most Improved Player.
More awards remain to be decided. MVP voting and Coach of the Year are still pending, and the league will announce Executive of the Year, the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year and the Hustle Award later this week.
