Former Duke Stars Battling For NBA Rookie Award

The Blue Devils came up short last season in the Final Four against Houston, but the roster was full of talent. Another elite recruiting class, led by coach Jon Scheyer, carried Duke into the postseason.

After the season, five Blue Devils were selected in the NBA Draft, including three within the first 10 picks. At the very top of the draft, Duke dominated the draft.

Duke's head coach Jon Scheyer calls out to players during the first half in the game against Michigan State on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cooper Flagg went first overall to the Dallas Mavericks, while Kon Knueppel went fourth to the Charlotte Hornets. The pair starred together at Duke and are now separated, but still finding success at the next level.

Flagg led the Blue Devils in several categories in the 2024-25 season, including points per game (19.2), rebounds (7.5), assists (4.2), steals (1.4) and blocks (1.4).

Dec 5, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel (7) dribbles up court against the Toronto Raptors during the second half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Knueppel was a strong second option in the offense for Scheyer as a freshman. He scored 14.4 points per game and added four rebounds, 2.7 assists and one steal per game.

The Blue Devils have plenty of alumni scattered around the NBA, but the program has a particular knack for turning freshmen into NBA superstars in one calendar year. Flagg and Knueppel are no different.

Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel Leaders for Rookie of the Year

Dec 12, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) brings the ball up court against the Brooklyn Nets during the second quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

As the first overall pick, Flagg was the presumed favorite to take home Rookie of the Year honors, but the Mavericks asked a lot of him early on. Flagg struggled early on, but has since rebounded nicely. He is currently the favorite to win the award with -160 odds, according to FanDuel.

Flagg is currently scoring 17.5 points per game and contributing 6.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.7 blocks per game.

Dec 12, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel (7) shoots a three-pointer against Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis (14) during the second quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Knueppel isn't far behind, however. The rookie has thrived in Charlotte since the return of LaMelo Ball, but proved capable of running the offense on his own as well.

The 6-foot-6 rookie is scoring 18.6 points per game and adding 5.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 0.7 steals per game. He has the second-best odds to win the award with +160 odds according to FanDuel.

Flagg and Knueppel both won Rookie of the Month in November, becoming the first pair of college teammates to sweep the award in the same month.

1st school in history to sweep the NBA Rookie of the Month awards 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/QG0EM5krqh
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) December 3, 2025

Neither the Hornets nor the Mavericks are doing a ton of winning, but the rookie stars from Duke are a bright spot. Knueppel is on pace to shatter the rookie 3-point record, currently held by Kings forward Keegan Murray with 206 made threes in the 2022-23 season. Knueppel has drilled 86 triples in 25 games.

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