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It’s NBA awards time! This is my 10th year as one of the league’s voters, and these were some of the toughest choices I’ve ever had to make. Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year, in particular, were incredibly difficult. Here’s my official ballot and the reasons behind every single choice.
Rookie of the Year
1. Cooper Flagg, Mavericks
2. Kon Knueppel, Hornets
3. VJ Edgecombe, Sixers
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Flagg is probably going to be the best player to come out of this draft, probably by a wide margin, and probably will be in the running for an All-NBA team as soon as next season. He dropped 51 in a game, then had 45 two nights later. He led the Mavericks in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. The last rookie to do that was Michael Jordan.
And he did it under conditions that should have buried him. The Luka Dončić trade fallout was still radiating through the locker room when camp opened. Anthony Davis was in and out of the lineup, and got traded after only 20 games. Kyrie Irving didn’t play at all. By March, the Mavericks were shutting down veterans in the name of tanking for better lottery odds. Every defense Cooper saw was geared to stop him specifically, because there was nobody else on the floor a defense had to respect. Flagg averaged 21 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists despite all the chaos. There’s a reason he went No. 1, and that reason was apparent all season long.
But this was an extremely difficult call. For nine-straight years as a voter, I’ve found the Rookie of the Year decision to be quite simple. Usually the gap between one and two is obvious by January. This year it’s not obvious with ballots due today.
(Josh Heim/Yahoo Sports Illustration)
Flagg averaged 2.5 more points, 1.4 more rebounds, and 1.1 more assists than Knueppel. But Knueppel posted a 63.3% true shooting mark to Flagg’s 54.8%, which is a massive gap that counting stats don’t necessarily close. Knueppel’s improved efficiency is fueled by the fact 81% of his attempted baskets were assisted, compared to only 50% for Flagg.
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The Mavericks asked Flagg to be their primary creator. Knueppel’s job was, on paper,…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/2026-nba-awards-ballot-victor-wembanyama-for-mvp-cooper-flagg-for-rookie-of-the-year-224921961.html
Author : Kevin O'Connor
Publish date : 2026-04-17 22:49:00
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