Mavericks' Cooper Flagg goes back-to-back for major NBA award

Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg is off to an impressive start to his career. He should be a freshman in college right now, but reclassified to be at Duke last year, then went first overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, which the Mavericks were lucky enough to win.

Flagg was already named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for October/November, and now has been named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for December, per a release by the NBA. Throughout the month, Flagg averaged an incredible 23.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 4.8 APG. For the second month in a row, he is joined by his former Duke teammate, Kon Knueppel of the Charlotte Hornets, who won it for the Eastern Conference.

Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg and Charlotte Hornets guard-forward Kon Knueppel have been named the Kia NBA Western and Eastern Conference Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in December. pic.twitter.com/cKZMnzwR5p
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 2, 2026

Flagg has blossomed every since they started playing a real point guard alongside him, as he doesn't have nearly as many playmaking and ball handling responsibilities, and yet, he's averaged more assists in this time frame. He's just continuing to get more comfortable and more confident in his abilities.

The three-point shot is also finding its groove as of late, as he's made 45.5% of his threes over the last six games. If that part of his game continues to develop, he's going to be impossible to stop on that side of the ball.

Jan 1, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) attempts a jump shot against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Race Between Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel for Rookie of the Year

The 2025 rookie class has been much better than anyone was anticipating. People saw Cooper Flagg as a potential star, but it's already much deeper and with more star power than expected, as players like Derik Queen, VJ Edgecombe, and Cedric Coward have been extremely impressive.

However, it'll come down to a 2-man race to win Rookie of the Year between Flagg and Kon Knueppel, the two former Duke teammates. Knueppel is shattering rookie three-point records, and is currently on pace to finish with one of the best shooting seasons in NBA history. He's surprised some people with his ability to score off the dribble when more people probably saw him as a purely catch-and-shoot player, and he's also been a decent playmaker.

Flagg is still head-and-shoulders above Knueppel to win ROTY on FanDuel, as Flagg has odds at -600, while Knueppel is at +500. No one else is even close, though, as Derik Queen is in third at +2500.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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