Duke freshmen Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel have emerged as two of the most talked-about young stars in basketball. Their debut seasons have culminated in a closely contested Rookie of the Year race.
Cooper Flagg narrowly defeated his former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel to win the NBA Rookie of the Year on Monday. A panel of 100 media members voted, and Flagg defeated Knueppel by 26 points. Knueppel received the remaining votes, while Flagg garnered 56 first-place votes.
Knueppel received 55 second-place votes and one third-place vote, compared to Flagg's 44 second-place votes.
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Cooper Flagg stats: All-around dominance won him the award
Flagg had an unprecedented season for a 19-year-old teenager. He became the youngest player in NBA history to score 35, 40, 45, and 50 points in a game and to dish out at least ten assists.
According to the NBA, the 26-point voting difference between Flagg and Knueppel is the second-smallest between the top finishers in a Rookie of the Year contest since the current voting structure started in 2002–03.
{{/usCountry}}According to the NBA, the 26-point voting difference between Flagg and Knueppel is the second-smallest between the top finishers in a Rookie of the Year contest since the current voting structure started in 2002–03.
{{/usCountry}}In the previous year's draft, Flagg was the No.1 pick. He joined Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and Luka Doncic as the only rookies to average at least 20 points, six rebounds, and four assists in the 50 seasons since the NBA-ABA merger. He is averaging 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists for the Dallas Mavericks.
Flagg was second among qualifiers in assists, third in rebounds, and the top scorer among all rookies.
Flagg and Jordan became the only rookies in NBA history to lead their clubs in scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals as Dallas ended 26-56. This season, Flagg was the only NBA player to lead his team in every one of those categories.
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Kon Knueppel’s stats: Efficiency and scoring keep race close
While Flagg may have taken the edge, Knueppel’s season was equally impressive in its own right.
Knueppel, the fourth pick for the draft, broke the rookie record for 3-pointers made with a league-high of 273. He also averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists.
He was a key player in the Charlotte Hornets' midseason comeback, which saw them finish 44-38 before losing in the Eastern Conference play-in round, a 25-win improvement over the previous campaign.
Earlier in the season, Knueppel was also named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month.