Cooper Flagg Continues Rookie of the Year Campaign With 50-Point Outing

The top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft made history with another dazzling performance as he battles a former teammate for Rookie of the Year.

Apr 3, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) celebrates during the second quarter against the Orlando Magic at the American Airlines Center. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The 2026 Rookie of the Year race has been one of the best in recent memory.

A number of first-year players, like VJ Edgecombe, Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, have turned in solid campaigns that would likely be in the running for Rookie of the Year in other seasons, but two players are a ways ahead of the pack in this year's race.

Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel, teammates at Duke in 2024-25 and top five picks in the 2025 NBA Draft, are battling for the award, and have each made solid cases to take home the trophy.

Knueppel set the NBA rookie record for 3-point makes in a season and the Charlotte franchise record for 3-point makes in a season while helping the Hornets to a postseason spot. While Knueppel claimed the top spot in the most recent Kia Rookie Ladder on NBA.com, Flagg's most recent performance could be enough to lift the No. 1 overall pick ahead of his former teammate.

On Friday, April 3, Flagg tallied 51 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, a block and a turnover while shooting 19-of-30 from the field, 6-of-9 from 3-point range and 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Despite Flagg's monster performance, Dallas was unable to take down Orlando, as the Magic earned a 138-127 victory.

While the loss may be dissappointing for Flagg and company, it should help the Mavericks' lottery positioning. With better odds, the team will have a better chance to land an elite prospect in what is shaping up to be a loaded 2026 class.

Pairing another premier draft pick with Flagg, who is averaging 20.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 47.2% from the field, 29.3% from 3-point range and 81.6% from the free throw line, would give the Mavericks an solid group of young players.

While Dereck Lively II only played seven games this season, the 22-year-old has proven to be a solid role player in his first three seasons, and should pair well with Flagg, Max Christie and the Mavericks' 2026 draft pick.

Flagg has a few more games to make his case for Rookie of the Year, but will have to beat out the sharpshooting Knueppel, whose shooting prowess and team success has placed him atop the race.

Regardless of who takes home the award, though, both players appear to have the makings of future stars.