Three Former NBA Stars Give Their Vote For NBA Rookie Of The Year

In the 2025 NBA Draft, the Dallas Mavericks landed the No. 1 overall pick, and with it, generational prospect Cooper Flagg, and thus far, he's been everything that the team could have hoped for after trading away Luka Doncic. Through 56 games played, Flagg has averaged 20 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists per game, as he appears to be the next face of the franchise, with many already seeing him as such.

In many years, these numbers would have him running away with the Rookie of the Year award, but in 2025/26, that isn't the case, with Kon Knueppel starring for the Charlotte Hornets. Through 67 games, Knueppel has averaged 19 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists per night, and while his numbers don't appear to be as good, he's broken the NBA rookie record for threes in a season and is helping a major turnaround in Charlotte.

That has many touting him as the Rookie of the Year, and during Amazon Prime's NBA coverage, Steve Nash, John Wall and Blake Griffin anointed the Hornets guard as their Rookie of the Year. 

On paper, Knueppel is the favorite to win the award, and while Mavericks fans feel as though this would be Flagg getting robbed, given what Knueppel has done, it's easy to see why he's favored to win the award as of right now.

Long-term, Flagg is likely to be the more successful player in the league, but right now, Knueppel has put together a historic rookie campaign, and unless something crazy happens, he's likely to win Rookie of the Year.