‘I Don’t Think It’s Close’ – Former Mavericks Player Picks Another Player Other Than Cooper Flagg for ROTY Award

Cooper Flagg appears to have reached a new level in the last few weeks (except in the most recent loss to the Phoenix Suns), and people now think the Dallas Mavericks youngster has the Rookie of the Year award locked up.

The 2025 No. 1 overall pick was on a scoring tear before the Suns game, where he scored just 11 points. He scored a career-high 51 points in a loss to the Orlando Magic last week and then put on a show in front of LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, scoring 45 points, to lead his team to the victory.

The belief is that he will win the ROTY award.

A former Dallas Mavericks player begs to differ, though. He even believes that Flagg is a distant second to the rightful winner.

Retired NBA player Chandler Parsons said Charlotte Hornets’ Kon Knueppel, Flagg’s Duke University teammate, should win it—and that he leads the Mavericks player by a mile.

“I think [Cooper Flagg] is the best player in the draft… but if I had a vote [for Rookie of the Year], it’s Kon Knueppel’s and I don’t think it’s close,” Parsons said in the Run It Back Show.

Parsons’ main reason is the record of the players’ respective teams. The Hornets are expected to advance to the play-in tournament after the regular season, while the Mavericks have only 25 wins.

Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel in the Rookie Ladder

The latest Kia Rookie Ladder has been released, and it agrees with Parsons.

Steve Aschburner of NBA.com placed Knueppel as the No. 1 rookie at the end of the regular season, with Flagg coming in second. VJ Edgecombe of the Philadelphia 76ers was placed third.

The writer, however, believes it is a close race and would not be surprised if Flagg or Knueppel ends up winning the trophy.