Although the Mavericks lost the game by a narrow margin, Flagg was so impressive that his former college teammate at Duke, Kon Knueppel, later admitted that Flagg would have had the upper hand in his Rookie of the Year race.
“I think he might attack me,” Knueppel said after the game.
Since then, the Mavericks have continued to slide down the Western Conference standings, and Flagg has spent the last three weeks recovering from a left foot sprain. On Tuesday, Flagg missed his eighth consecutive game as Dallas lost 117–90 to Charlotte to start a six-game road trip.
Knueppel, who scored 13 points in the Hornets’ win, has now played 12 more games than the flag. Knueppel’s availability and strong play for the surging Hornets – now 20-9 since Jan. 1 – have made the possibility of beating Flagg for the Rookie of the Year award a real one.
“I don’t think it’s close,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said. “(Cone) would probably be angry at me for saying something like that, because he just wants to focus on our team winning games and impacting the game in any way.”
Last week, Knueppel set an NBA rookie record for 3s made in a season with 22 games remaining. A 44 percent 3-point shooter, Nueppel has been the most productive 3-point shooter not only among rookies, but in the entire NBA. His 212 made 3-pointers are 15 more than the next closest player, Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Knuppel isn’t just a floor-stretcher either. He is shooting 56 percent on 2-point shots and is fourth on the Hornets in rebounding and assists.
Lee credits Knueppel’s upbringing for his mature play. As a child, Knueppel’s father – also named Con – had his son join him in playing pickup games against older people.
“Going to the men’s league with my dad and getting fit on the court and not freaking out,” Lee said. “When you’re that young, you just have to figure out how to fit in. How do I stay competitive?”
If Knueppel has regained the lead in the Rookie of the Year race, there is still time for Flagg to get it back. Flagg got a light workout on the court before Tuesday’s game. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said he expects Flagg to play a game or two on the team’s road trip, which includes stops against the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies.
In the 49 games Flagg has played, he is averaging 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks. He’s already a two-way force, and the Mavericks have relied on him heavily throughout the season in crunch time. (Flagg ranks 12th in “clutch” scoring among all players in the NBA.)
The Mavericks’ initial hope was that Flagg would not have to carry such a heavy load, but the lack of ballhandling on the roster and the failed Anthony Davis experiment have forced Flagg to take on more responsibility than any rookie in the league.
“I think we all know Coop is a special player,” Mavericks forward PJ Washington said. “He’s been doing his thing all year. Obviously, when he comes back, he’s going to do the same thing. He’s going to be special. We need him, and it shows, but being his age and what he’s been doing, we don’t really see a lot of guys doing that. There’s no question about that.”
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd was involved in a closely contested Rookie of the Year race more than 30 years ago. In 1995, Kidd and then-Detroit Pistons forward Grant Hill received the same number of first-place votes and ultimately shared the Rookie of the Year award.
“I think Grant was the favorite all year,” Kidd said. “I was lucky in late March and April – played at a high level. Since then, they have changed the voting rules, so there will be no tie.”
As Kidd said, the way the votes are tallied has changed, which means Knueppel and Flagg have much less chance of sharing the award. The final quarter of the regular season will determine which of his former Duke teammates wins it.
“I think when you talk about Coop and Knueppel, they play the game the right way,” Kidd said. “Cooper and Knueppel are the leaders of the class. It will be interesting to see who wins the Rookie of the Year award.”
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