Cooper Flagg Discusses Playing Against Kon Knueppel

There is some incredible talent coming up in the NBA right now. We are smack dab in the middle of one of the most interesting Rookie of the Year races in recent memory. That’s because there are two studs, Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg, putting up incredible rookie seasons. 

What’s even cooler is that the Knueppel vs Flagg rivalry is something we could see take over the league for the next decade. Flagg and Knueppel both already look like budding superstars, and they have history. They were teammates and even roommates during their time at Duke, and now we’re are getting to see their friendly rivalry play out in the NBA. 

In a January game between the Mavericks and Hornets, Knueppel and Flagg went head-to-head and put on a show. Flagg dropped an insane 49 points but the Hornets, led by Knueppel’s 34 points and eight three-pointers, took home the win. 

Flagg was asked about getting to battle against one of his good friends.  

“It’s incredible. Like, I know Kon better than a lot of people. I know what his work ethic is like. I know his drive and how much of a competitor he is. That was probably one of, if not the most fun game of the season for me. He had an incredible game. We were going back and forth. It came down to the wire. Obviously would have loved to win it, but it was still a really fun game.”

Hopefully, this is just the beginning for Flagg and Knueppel. There haven’t been two American-born superstars in the same draft class for a long time. If Flagg and Knueppel can keep improving on their already impressive rookie seasons, the league will be in for a treat for years to come.