Dallas Mavericks small forward Cooper Flagg of Newport, Maine has been named the National Basketball Association rookie of the year for the 2025-26 regular season according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN on Monday. The news could come as a bit of a surprise because of the outstanding season Kon Knueppel had for the Charlotte Hornets. Flagg received 56 first place votes, while Knueppel received 44 first place votes.
Flagg, who was the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, averaged 21 points per game, 6.7 rebounds per game, 4.5 assists per game, and 1.2 steals per game. He also had a field goal percentage of .468, three point percentage of .295, and a free throw percentage of .827. Flagg did score 51 points for the Mavericks in a game this season, but it came in a 138-127 Mavericks loss to the Orlando Magic on April 3. It should be noted that Flagg’s 51 points came on a night where the Mavericks, including Flagg, were poor defensively. Flagg was a -2 in the 11 point loss.
Quite frankly, I am surprised Knueppel did not get the honour. He was instrumental in getting the Hornets to the play-in tournament. This was a spot that the Mavericks did not get to. The reason why Knueppel should have been considered is because of his record-breaking three point shooting. This past season, he led the NBA in three point shots made (273), and in the process Knueppel set the Hornets record for most three points shots made in a season, and set the NBA record for most three points shot made in a season by a rookie.
