Just a few weeks ago, Charlotte Hornets star Kon Knueppel seemed to be in the driver’s seat for the NBA Rookie of the Year award.
On Monday, the league announced that Dallas Mavericks star Cooper Flagg won the award. Flagg earned 412 total points while Knueppel received 386 in a close finish.
After the results came out, Tomer Azarly and Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported that one possible reason why is due to Knueppel’s struggles during the Play-In Tournament.
“A number of media members who have votes admitted the Play-In Tournament, which Knueppel struggled significantly in, weighed in their decision for the regular season award,” Azarly wrote.
“Several NBA media voters publicly admitted to the play-in tournament changing their minds from Knueppel to Flagg. Have to wonder if pre-play-in whether Knueppel would’ve won the vote,” Siegel added.
Several NBA media voters publicly admitted to the play-in tournament changing their minds from Knueppel to Flagg.
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) April 27, 2026
Have to wonder if pre-play-in whether Knueppel would’ve won the vote. https://t.co/Ak8OHv1s61
At the beginning of March, Stephen A. Smith predicted that Knueppel would win the award, and the Hornets star and Flagg were neck and neck for quite some time.
Knueppel’s struggles were evident as he shot 2-of-12 from the field with six points in the 127-126 overtime win in the first Play-In game against the Miami Heat.
Kon Knueppel then went jus 3-of-10 with 1 three-pointer in the 121-90 blowout loss to the Orlando Magic that ended the Hornets’ season.
Fans even blamed Hornets coach Charles Lee as he sat Knueppel down the stretch against the Heat amid a poor shooting performance.
Now, Flagg has beaten out his former Duke teammate for the award, and the close race certainly raises questions about the timing of the voting process.
