The Dallas Mavericks have had a dreadful season as a team, heading into the final game of the season with a dismal 25-56 record. They’re locked into the tanking battle and will hope the lottery gods can reward them again after they jumped to No. 1 last season and selected Cooper Flagg.
Flagg is having a historic rookie season, averaging 21.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game. He’s equaling rookie records set by the likes of LeBron James, but he’s still considered the second-favorite for the award.
Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel is averaging 18.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists on 42.7% from three with 7.9 attempts per game this season, leading the Hornets back into relevance after a potential eight-year Playoff drought coming to an end.
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd weighed in on this battle for Rookie of the Year in a recent interview on the Road Trippin’ show, heaping praise on Flagg while also making a snide comment about Knueppel’s shooting ability, claiming it wasn’t intended as shade.
“I don’t have to make a case. He’s done the hard work and put up the numbers. The only thing we haven’t done is win as a team. I think, when you look at his numbers, he’s had a historic season. Nothing against Knueppel, he’s a piece of the puzzle for the Hornets. But Cooper is the puzzle.”
“I truly believe that he deserves rookie of the year, that’s not throwing shade at Knueppel, he’s had a great year too. But just the things, the stats, the names he is attached to. It’s a little bit bigger than just shooting threes.”
Even if Kidd says he doesn’t mean to throw shade at Knueppel, his comment that ‘it’s bigger than just shooting threes’ does seem a little dismissive of what Knueppel has achieved this season. He shattered the NBA’s rookie record for three-pointers made in a season while being a competent two-way contributor for a team making a Playoff push.
In the same vein, what Kidd is saying about Flagg is entirely accurate. The Rookie of the Year award isn’t usually given out based on which rookie helped their team win more games, as rookies often go into situations where they can’t contribute to winning, like Flagg this season.
If we look at the numbers both players have put up, Flagg is easily the winner. It isn’t about just shooting, as Flagg has proven himself as a more impactful rebounder and defender as well. He’s also a better playmaker, overcoming the learning curve of playing as a point guard and showing rapid development as a playmaker over his rookie season.
Chet Holmgren didn’t win Rookie of the Year over Victor Wembanyama despite being on a winning squad, and the same applies to Carmelo Anthony over LeBron James in 2003. A further example is when Donovan Mitchell lost to Ben Simmons in 2018.
The history of NBA Rookie of the Year winners shows that the player with the bigger numbers and higher ceiling often wins out. With Knueppel’s Hornets still not even confirmed to be a Playoff team, it’s hard to justify why superior shooting and effective field goal percentage make him the ROTY over one of the most complete prospects the NBA has seen in recent memory.
It’ll be interesting to see how Dallas’ season-ending clash against the Chicago Bulls and Charlotte’s final game against the New York Knicks shape this battle, with all eyes on Flagg and Knueppel to have one last statement performance to convince the voters.
