Cooper Flagg Named NBA Rookie of the Year
Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 pick of the Dallas Mavericks and this year’s NBA Rookie of the Year, has officially joined the All-Rookie First Team, an honor announced Wednesday night. He’s certainly not alone in that achievement—other standout rookies made the list as well.
Joining Flagg are Con Knuppel from the Charlotte Hornets, who was his college teammate at Duke and was the runner-up for Rookie of the Year, along with VJ Edgecombe of the Philadelphia 76ers. All three were unanimously selected as members of the All-Rookie First Team based on the voting results.
Also making the first team were Dylan Harper from the San Antonio Spurs and Cedric Coward from the Memphis Grizzlies. All five players were recognized in the votes for this year’s Rookie of the Year award.
The voting process involved each team casting 100 votes. Harper, notably, just missed being a unanimous selection, falling short by seven votes. Meanwhile, Coward accumulated 29 first-team votes and was a total of 125 points.
Flagg’s Victory and Rivalry
Flagg’s tightly contested win over Knuppel was noteworthy—he secured 56 first-place votes compared to Knuppel’s 44. Edgecombe finished in third place with 96 points, including 93 third-place votes. Flagg, at just 19 years old, became the second-youngest winner of this award, following in the footsteps of LeBron James.
For a while, Knuppel seemed like the frontrunner for the award, but that changed after voters scrutinized his performance during the play-in tournament. In a nail-biting overtime game against the Miami Heat, he scored just six points with a shooting average of 16.7%. Then, he struggled further in a loss against the Orlando Magic, where he scored 11 points and had a minus-26 rating on the court.
Flagg expressed respect for Knuppel, noting he kept an eye on his performance throughout the season. “I watch the game every night. I can check the box score,” Flagg mentioned, acknowledging the bond they share as teammates.
This season, Flagg posted impressive averages of 21 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game, aligning him with greats like Larry Bird and Michael Jordan in achievement. He also led all rookies in scoring.
Knuppel, on the other hand, averaged 18.5 points, along with 5.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Despite Flagg outshining him in most categories, Knuppel set an impressive record for rookie three-pointers, scoring 273— the highest in the NBA this season. He was vital in helping the Hornets reach the play-in tournament with a record of 44-38, before their elimination by the Magic.
The Spurs, featuring Harper, saw success with him and fellow teammates like Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, although they haven’t seen playoff action yet.
Edgecombe and Team Performances
Edgecombe was also significant in the 76ers’ victory against the Boston Celtics, propelling them past a difficult Game 7. Unfortunately, they faced a setback against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The All-Rookie Second Team this year includes Derrick Queen and Jeremiah Fears from the New Orleans Pelicans, Maxime Reynaud from the Sacramento Kings, Ace Bailey from the Utah Jazz, and Colin Murray-Boyles from the Toronto Raptors.
