When Cooper Flagg scored 49 points against the Charlotte Hornets on Jan. 29 — the most by a teenager in NBA history — Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel admitted afterward that his former Duke teammate might have taken the Rookie of the Year lead. Eight games later, with Flagg sidelined by a left midfoot sprain and Knueppel on a historic run, the conversation looks entirely different.

FanDuel Sportsbook now lists Knueppel at -150 and Flagg at +120 in the 2026 NBA Rookie of the Year race — a market shift that reflects eight missed games for the Dallas Mavericks rookie and one of the most efficient stretches by a first-year player in recent memory. VJ Edgecombe of the Philadelphia 76ers is a distant third at +10000.

Why Kon Knueppel Is Now Favored for NBA Rookie of the Year

The case for Knueppel starts with availability and ends with historic efficiency. He has played 12 more games than Flagg this season and last week set the NBA rookie record for 3-pointers made with 22 games still remaining. Knueppel is shooting 44% from beyond the arc and has knocked down 212 3-pointers on the season — 15 more than Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers, the next-closest player in the entire league. He is also shooting 56% on 2-point attempts and ranks fourth on Charlotte in both rebounds and assists.

The Charlotte Hornets have gone 20-9 since Jan. 1, and Knueppel has been central to that run. Hornets coach Charles Lee was direct when asked about the Rookie of the Year race on Tuesday.

“I don’t even think it’s close,” Lee said. “(Kon) probably would be mad at me for saying something like that, because he just wants to focus on our team winning games and impacting games any way he possibly can.”

Cooper Flagg Nears Return for Dallas Mavericks

The odds could shift fast. Flagg was upgraded to questionable on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s game in Orlando after DallasHoopsJournal.com observed him going through a full workout at Spectrum Center on Tuesday. He was launching off his left foot without hesitation and showed no visible discomfort from the midfoot sprain that has kept him out since mid-February.

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd expects him back during the team’s six-game road trip.

“He’s ramping up,” Kidd said. “Everything is going well. Hopefully, as we go on this road trip, he can get out and play in a game or two.”

Thursday is the second night of a back-to-back for Dallas, which could push Flagg’s return to Friday in Boston. Either way, his absence appears close to ending.

Cooper Flagg’s Stats Make Him a Live Threat to Reclaim the Lead

When healthy, Flagg has been the most complete two-way rookie in the NBA. In 49 games this season, he is averaging 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.8 blocks while shooting 48.2%. He ranks 12th in the NBA in clutch scoring among all players and set the record for most points by a teenager in league history with his 49-point performance against the Hornets on Jan. 29.

The betting market now says otherwise. But with a healthy Flagg potentially back on the floor within days and a quarter of the regular season remaining, the 2026 NBA Rookie of the Year race is far from settled. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd — who shared the 1995 Rookie of the Year award with Grant Hill — summed it up plainly.

“Cooper and Knueppel are heads of the class,” Kidd said. “It’s going to be interesting to see who wins Rookie of the Year.”

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