Kon Knueppel Keeping Race with Cooper Flagg Interesting

It wasn’t long ago that Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel were both repping Duke, leading the Blue Devils to their first Final Four appearance since 2022.

Flagg won National Player of the Year with Duke, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists in one of the more absurd seasons we’ve ever seen. He was still-17 for a decent chunk of the year, eventually becoming the NBA’s top pick.

Knueppel, despite Flagg’s shine, earned plenty of his own. Few players in the country were able to raise their stock more than him over the course of just one season, and his time leading Duke with Flagg out due to injury turned plenty of draft heads. He eventually became the No. 4 pick.

Now, both Flagg and Knueppel are leading the charge for this season’s Rookie of the Year Award.

After hot starts from a few others, Knueppel eventually stole the show while Flagg revved up. The Hornet saw a 20-point game on just his third try, and from there began impacting each game at a star level. Flagg started slower, but has since picked up steam. In his last 10, he’s gone for 20.4 points, 6.2 assists and 3.9 assists per game, shooting 52% overall.

The narrative was that Flagg wouldn’t need to do much to become the class’s award-winner, and while there’s some merit to that, he’s still been stellar and worthy.

Knueppel is certainly keeping things interesting, though.

Since Flagg has re-taken the odds at Rookie of the Year, Knueppel has surged again. In his last two contests, including an overtime win over the Cavaliers, the guard has scored 62 total points, shooting 57% overall and 41% from three. He’s been vital to what little success the Hornets have seen this season, and could very well be the focal point moving forward.

On the season, Knueppel's now averaging 19.0 points on 47% shooting, with 5.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists to boot. Flagg's close behind at 17.5 points on 45% shooting, with 6.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

A face-value look might give the edge to the former, though Flagg's reputation is sure to give him an advantage. With two thirds of the season left, it's still up for grabs, though its certainly feeling a two-man race at the moment.

Regardless, the 2025 NBA Draft class is turning out even better than expected, with several star-level players immediately impacting their respective teams, and plenty more getting better with each game.