Cooper Flagg has thrust himself back into the Rookie of the Year conversation after a ridiculous start to April. There was a debate between him and Charlotte Hornets’ Kon Knueppel, but Knueppel has been the favorite for the last month or so. Flagg then scored 51 points against the Orlando Magic on Friday night, then followed it up with 45 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Easter Sunday.
Those kinds of performances had the NBA world buzzing, and he has now retaken the odds to win NBA Rookie of the Year. Having the backing of his Dallas Mavericks teammates helps, too.
︀︀“I just don’t understand why anyone else can be Rookie of the Year,” P.J. Washington said after Sunday’s outburst. “He’s done everything. Especially at his age. The things he’s doing, it’s unbelievable… It’s two different ballparks… He’s 19 [years old], doing what he’s doing. Being the main guy is a lot harder than being a rotational player, hitting corner shots, or just hitting 3s. He’s initiating most of our offense. To be 19 doing that is unheard of.”
For the season, Flagg is now averaging 21.1 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 4.6 RPG, and 2.1 steals+blocks per game. He is somehow outperforming every expectation that was set for him, despite being the first overall pick. Being able to initiate offense like this as a wing, having never played point guard in his life, is truly special.