For the first time since 2001-02, when the league began awarding the honor in each conference, the NBA has named two former college teammates as the Rookies of the Month for the Eastern and Western Conferences. Former Duke Blue Devils Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg received the honor on Tuesday afternoon for their play in October and November.
The pair of former Blue Devils have been electric since entering the league this season, with Knueppel overtaking Flagg as the odds-on favorite to win the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award. However, Flagg has recently made a push to reassert himself at the forefront of that conversation.
Knueppel has found a perfect fit not too far from his college stomping grounds with the Charlotte Hornets. Alongside star guard LaMelo Ball, Knueppel has been lethal, making nearly three shots from deep per game at a 41.5 percent clip. In 21 games played, Knueppel has started 20, averaging 18.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.0 assists. While only a quarter of the way through the season, Knueppel’s efficiency nearly qualifies for the 50/40/90 club — those who shot 50-plus percent from the field, 40-plus percent from three and 90-plus percent from the free throw line over the course of an NBA season.
Flagg, meanwhile, has suffered through a slow start, as have his Dallas Mavericks, though as the team has begun shifting their focus around the young star, Flagg has responded with increasingly improved play. In 21 games, Flagg is averaging 17.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Over his last three games, Flagg is averaging 24.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists, and has added his name to the record books twice as the youngest player to record 10 or more assists in a game and the youngest player to score 35 points in a game; setting the records on back-to-back nights.
Just a month and a half into their NBA careers, it’s clear that both of the former Blue Devils have a bright future ahead of them in this league.