{"id":680676,"date":"2026-03-26T19:44:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T19:44:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/680676\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T19:44:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T19:44:21","slug":"clear-rookie-of-the-year-favorite-named-ahead-of-nba-playoffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/680676\/","title":{"rendered":"Clear Rookie of the Year Favorite Named Ahead of NBA Playoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2025\u201326 NBA<\/a> rookie class came in with serious hype, and most of it centered around one name:\u00a0Cooper Flagg. <\/p>\n

The No. 1 overall pick was widely viewed as a franchise-altering talent, a do-it-all forward expected to dominate from Day 1.<\/p>\n

Early betting markets and preseason projections had him as a near lock for Rookie of the Year.<\/p>\n

But as the regular season winds down and the playoff picture sharpens, the narrative has taken a sharp, unexpected turn.<\/p>\n

According to ESPN analyst Zach Kram\u2019s latest rankings<\/a>, it\u2019s now\u00a0Kon Knueppel, not Flagg, who sits firmly atop the Rookie of the Year race. <\/p>\n

And not just narrowly. The gap, by advanced metrics and overall impact, \u201cisn\u2019t close.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

“According to\u00a0ESPN’s net points metric, Knueppel has contributed 153 points above average on offense this season. No other rookie is above 18,” Kram wrote. <\/p>\n

“Knueppel stands out even when compared to the entire league, not just rookies. He’s 11th overall in offensive net points; the two players directly ahead of him are\u00a0Anthony Edwards\u00a0and\u00a0Jalen Brunson, and the two players directly behind him are\u00a0Cade Cunningham\u00a0and\u00a0Tyrese Maxey. Simply put, Knueppel has been one of the best players in the NBA this season.”<\/p>\n

“He’s leading the league in total 3-point makes. He’s third among qualified perimeter players in true shooting percentage, behind only Gilgeous-Alexander and\u00a0Sam Merrill,” Kram added. “And he’s a major contributor to a surprisingly winning team. Knueppel should win the Rookie of the Year award, and for as well as Flagg has played, the decision shouldn’t be that close.”<\/p>\n

More news: Caitlin Clark Turns Heads With Surprising Behavior During Pacers-Lakers Game<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Cooper<\/p>\n

More news: Dick Vitale Names Best Player in College Basketball Ahead of Sweet 16<\/a><\/p>\n

At\u00a0Duke, Knueppel built a reputation as one of the most efficient scorers in college basketball. As a freshman, he averaged 14.4 points on 48% shooting from the field and over 40% from three, earning All-ACC honors and tournament MVP recognition.<\/p>\n

Charlotte selected him No. 4 overall in the 2025 draft, a pick that now looks like a franchise-defining decision.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s averaging 19.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game while posting elite shooting splits, including 43.6% from three and 48.7% from the field.<\/p>\n

Even more eye-popping is that he\u2019s already broken the NBA rookie record for total three-pointers in a season, surpassing 200 makes in under 60 games.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the biggest separator, though? Winning.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Charlotte Hornets<\/a>\u00a0have quietly become one of the league\u2019s hottest teams down the stretch, winning 12 of their last 15 games to reach 38\u201334 entering the final stretch, momentum fueled in large part by their rookie star.<\/p>\n

Knueppel\u2019s spacing, shot-making, and decision-making have unlocked the offense, complementing players like\u00a0LaMelo Ball\u00a0and\u00a0Brandon Miller\u00a0and turning Charlotte into a legitimate playoff threat.<\/p>\n

If he closes the season strong, the award is his to lose.<\/p>\n

More news: Top Hubert Davis Replacement Emerges Immediately After UNC Firing<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2025\u201326 NBA rookie class came in with serious hype, and most of it centered around one name:\u00a0Cooper…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":680677,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[7,473,225,968,6,11],"class_list":{"0":"post-680676","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba-playoffs","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-charlotte-hornets","10":"tag-cooper-flagg","11":"tag-kon-knueppel","12":"tag-nba","13":"tag-nba-playoffs"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/680676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=680676"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/680676\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/680677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=680676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=680676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=680676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}