Mavs' rookie star Cooper Flagg earns huge NBA recognition

It's been an interesting start to the season for Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg. He was a point guard in the first seven games despite never playing point guard before in his life, and naturally, it was a little bit of a struggle at first. But he's moved back to his natural position on the wing, as he's looked much better.

In the month of November, Flagg averaged 16.7 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 3.5 APG while being a pretty great defender, both on-ball and off. That led to him being named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for November. His former Duke teammate, Kon Knueppel, 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 October/November.

Both winners are from the same college (Duke), a first… pic.twitter.com/ybbpbPj2yw
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 2, 2025

It's the first time two rookies from the same college have won Rookie of the Month for their respective conferences since the awards were first handed out to players in each conference starting in 2001-02.

Flagg is coming off a great weekend, where he had 13 points and 11 assists against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night, then followed it up with a 35-point outing against the Clippers on Saturday, the second night of a back-to-back. That was the most points scored in a game by a rookie this year, topping VJ Edgecombe's 34 points on opening night. And those 11 assists made him the youngest player to have 10+ assists in a game.

That 35-point outing made him the youngest player with at least 35 points, and the second-youngest player with at least 30.

Dec 1, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) controls the ball against Denver Nuggets guard Peyton Watson (8) and center Nikola Jokic (15) as guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) defends in the fourth quarter at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Dallas Mavericks Rookies Shining

Cooper Flagg may have only been the draft pick the Mavericks made this year, but he's not the only rookie excelling on the team. They signed Ryan Nembhard out of undrafted free agency to a two-way contract, and he's already outplayed that deal.

Nembhard had a great second half against the Miami Heat last week, and he's just gotten more and more trust from the team and the coaching staff since then, starting each of the last three games.

On Monday night against the Denver Nuggets, Nembhard went nuclear, putting up 28 points, 10 assists, and no turnovers on 12/14 shooting. He set all kinds of history with that performance, becoming just the third rookie in NBA history to have that statline, joining Stephon Marbury and Michael Finley, who is now his general manager. Take out the turnovers, and Jason Kidd and Luka Doncic are the only players in franchise history to have 25 points and 10 assists as a rookie.

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