Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks received some good news in his recovery from a left midfoot sprain; now, the Rookie of the Year race will come down to the wire.
It's a race between two former Duke Blue Devils with Charlotte Hornets' sharpshooter Kon Knueppel currently leading. Here's a look at the current odds for the prestigious award on bet365:
2026 Rookie of the Year Odds - March 4
Kon Knueppel | -155 |
Cooper Flagg | +122 |
Flagg was a heavy favorite coming into the season and was still expected to win it as the All-Star game approached, but an injury that has held him out eight straight games has hindered his chances.
Flagg, 19, had a slow start to the season, but really started to pick it up halfway through the year. In his last six games before his injury on Feb. 10, Flagg averaged 32.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 52.6% from the floor and 45.5% from three.
Head coach Jason Kidd gave a crucial update on Flagg on Tuesday, March 3, saying "He's ramping up...everything is going well. Today was kind of to get back in his routine, and hopefully, as we go on this road trip, he can get in and play a game or two."
The Mavericks have a five-game road trip coming up: Thursday vs. the Magic, Friday vs. Boston, Sunday vs. Toronto, Mar. 10 vs. Atlanta, and Mar. 12 vs. Memphis.
Flagg can still miss up to seven games to be eligible for the award, so he isn't in much trouble to miss out due to the 65-game rule.
Overall on the season, Flagg is averaging 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting 48.2% from the field and 30.2% from three.
Flagg's outstanding athleticism, mid-range shotmaking, playmaking, and defense have all been exactly what Mavs fans were hoping to see out of their newest elite prospect after he was a unanimous pick to be selected No. 1 overall.
It's certainly not all about the recent injury, however. If it was, Flagg would still be a clear favorite. College teammate and fourth overall pick Kon Knueppel has been phenomenal this season.
He's has already set the rookie record for most threes made in a season (207) and is currently leading the entire league in that stat with 212 made in 61 games played.
The two squared off in late January with Flagg scoring 49 points while shooting 20-29 from the floor and Knueppel dropping 34 points with eight made threes in an epic 123-121 victory for Charlotte.
He has shot the ball so well that he became just the fifth rookie ever to compete in the three-point contest, and the first since Devin Booker in 2016.
Knueppel has been the key piece in the Hornets' turnaround this season - Charlotte has already won more games this season (31) than they did in each of its last three seasons.
With their typical starting lineup of LaMelo Ball, Knueppel, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, and Moussa Diabate, the Hornets are an outstanding 19-2.
The 20-year-old is averaging 19.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game, shooting 43.5% from three on eight attempts per game.
His constant off-ball movement and veteran feel for the game enables him to find holes in the defense and get off clean looks every game.
With ~20 games left in the regular seasons, this Rookie of the Year race between the two Duke stars could come down to the final game.
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All odds written in this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.
