Cooper Flagg Injury Shifts NBA Rookie of the Year Odds Towards Kon Knueppel

Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg has been the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award since before the 2025-26 season, but his grip on the top spot may be loosening.

Flagg has not played since the All-Star break due to a sprain in his foot, and that has allowed his college teammate – Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel – to make up some ground in the latest Rookie of the Year odds.

Flagg was -650 to win the award at the All-Star break, but his odds have already fallen to -450 since he’s missed the last few games. The star forward may see his minutes or games limited down the stretch with Dallas looking to tank and land a better pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Meanwhile, Knueppel has jumped from +360 to +300 to win the Rookie of the Year, giving him some interesting value at this point in the season. The Hornets are in the play-in tournament race in the Eastern Conference, so Knueppel should handle a major workload down the stretch of the regular season.

Could that be enough for him to overtake Flagg in this market?

Here’s a look at the latest odds and the potential case for Knueppel in the 2025-26 season.

NBA Rookie of the Year Odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Cooper Flagg: -450
Kon Knueppel: +300
VJ Edgecombe: +7000
Derik Queen: +50000
Cedric Coward: +50000

Flagg has already done enough to be considered for Rookie of the Year, as he’s averaging 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 30.2 percent from 3 across 49 games.

However, if he only plays a limited amount over the final few weeks of the regular season, it could end up hurting him in this market. Flagg has put up some impressive numbers, but he’s done it for a team that is way out of the playoff race.

If he does return to play the majority of the Mavs’ remaining games, he should be able to hang on as the favorite since he is walking into a clear No. 1 role in the offense. But, that’s not a guarantee with Dallas trying to land a better pick in the upcoming draft.

As for Knueppel, he continues to be a standout performer for a Charlotte team that has a top-10 net rating over the last month. The Hornets are just four games under .500 and currently hold the No. 10 seed in the East.

The former Duke star has shot the lights out from 3-point range this season, knocking down 43.5 percent of his attempts while averaging 19.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

Knueppel has also played in 57 games (eight more than Flagg) for a team that has a chance to make the playoffs in the East.

Both players have put together impressive rookie seasons, but the odds currently feature a pretty big gap in favor of Flagg. I think Knueppel could be worth a small bet at this point in the season, especially since Flagg’s injury is a little worrisome with Dallas out of contention.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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