Top 5 Picks, College Teammates Shine in Charlotte's Win at Dallas

The 2025-26 NBA season has seen a number of impressive performances from first-year players.

VJ Edgecombe kicked off his professional career with a 34-point outing, while Derik Queen has already notched multiple triple-doubles, including a 33-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist outing against San Antonio that also included a trio of blocks.

Alongside the aforementioned rookies, multiple other members of the 2025 NBA Draft class have performed well throughout the year.

Thursday nigth, though, featured what could be the best contest between two first-year players yet this season. In Charlotte's 123-121 win at Dallas, Kon Knueppel led the Hornets with 34 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal while committing 0 turnovers.

Knueppel shot 10-of-16 from the field, 8-of-12 from 3-point range and 6-of-6 from the free throw line in the victory. Meanwhile, top pick Cooper Flagg finished with 49 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and a block while shooting 20-of-29 from the field, 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and 6-of-6 from the charity stripe.

Cooper (49 on 20/29) vs. Kon (34 on 10/16) pic.twitter.com/D5nRjvTcMU
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) January 30, 2026

Flagg and Knueppel spent one season together at Duke before Flagg was selected No. 1 overall while Knueppel went fourth. In college, the duo helped lead the Blue Devils to a ACC regular season and tournament championships, a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a Final 4 appearance.

Now, both players are enjoying successful rookie seasons in the NBA.

Knueppel is averaging 18.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 48.3% from the field, 89.5% from the free throw line and 42.1% from 3-point range on 7.7 attempts per game. Flagg is putting up 18.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 47.3% from the field, 28% from beyond the arc and 79.5% from the free throw line.

Neither the Mavericks or Hornets are near the top of their conference standings, both teams feature exciting young pieces and could have bright futures.

Charlotte sits at No. 11 in the East, while Knueppel is flanked by LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Moussa Diabate and others. The group has led the Hornets to a solid stretch of play that includes five consecutive wins.

If the team continues to perform well through the back half of the season, Charlotte could earn a spot in the Play-In Tournament this year.

Dallas, on the other hand, sits No. 12 in the West. While the Mavericks don't have as much youth, the team still has players like Max Christie and Dereck Lively II on the roster, who could continue to grow alongside Flagg.

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