The NBA Rookie of the Year race is going to be a close one.
Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg and Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel — former teammates with the Duke Blue Devils — are the frontrunners for the award, and for good reason.
Flagg finished the year averaging 21.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, while Knueppel averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists this season while writing his name in the NBA record books as well.
“Kon Knueppel is the first rookie in NBA history to lead the NBA in threes ☔️. Prior to this year, no rookie had even finished top 3!” the ESPN Insights X account posted.
Knueppel finished with 273 made 3-pointers — one more than teammate LaMelo Ball — to not only lead the league in the category but he also broke the rookie record for made 3s as well.
He and Ball were the only players in the league to hit more than 270 3-pointers. The next-closest player was Los Angeles Lakers point guard Luka Doncic, who had 254 made 3s.
Knueppel, Ball, Doncic, and Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (251) are the only players this season to hit 250 or more made 3s.
Charlotte took the 20-year-old Knueppel with the fourth overall pick last June after a standout season at Duke, in which he was a second-team All-ACC selection, an ACC All-Freshman Team selection, and he was named ACC Tournament MVP.
If Knueppel were to win Rookie of the Year, he would be the first Hornets player to win the award since Ball did back in 2021. He would also become the fourth player in Hornets/Bobcats history to win the award, joining Ball, Emeka Okafor (2005), and Larry Johnson (1992).
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