NBA Rookie Rankings: Kon Knueppel in driver's seat for award over Cooper Flagg
With a month left in the regular season, the former Duke teammates are still leading the pack
This is it, the final month of the NBA season. We've reached the point where teams are either focused on the playoffs or ping pong balls; there is no in between. Unless you're the Chicago Bulls, in which you're probably bummed you won't make your annual appearance in the play-in round.
For rookies, the final month of the season can mean players are sputtering to the finish line, or it can mean turning in some of their best performances as teams focus more on youth development. That's true of Jazz rookie Ace Bailey, who dropped a career-high 32 points in a win against Wizards last week. Bailey's rookie season hasn't been one that has garnered a ton of attention -- he wasn't even named as one of the original Rising Stars players as part of All-Star Weekend, but rather was an injury replacement.
But since Feb. 1, Bailey is averaging the fourth-most points amongst rookies (16.3) and has been on the cusp of putting up double-doubles on a handful of occasions. That 32-point outing showed off his ability to score in a variety of ways, either as a catch-and-shoot threat or getting the ball on the move and scoring off the dribble. His performance as of late is encouraging to see after a rookie campaign that mostly flew under the radar. Despite the Jazz tanking, Bailey's benefiting from the low-stakes hoops Utah is playing each night and they're starting to enjoy that as the season winds down.
Now, let's take a look at where the rest of the rookies stand at this point in the season.
5. Cedric Coward, Grizzlies
Coward has been nursing a right knee injury over the past few weeks, but when he has been available, he's still been putting up efficient numbers. His rookie campaign has proven that he's capable of being a long-term building block of this young Memphis core, and it's not just because of the scoring. In his most recent outing, Coward racked up 16 rebounds, seven of which were on the offensive end.
Coward's ability to rack up offensive boards correlates to him being a smart off-ball player who's always roaming to try to get himself open. If he doesn't get the ball off a backdoor cut to the rim, he's already in position to grab an offensive board. But even if it's not connected to him being a savvy off-ball player, Coward just makes it a habit to follow the shot to try and create another opportunity for his team. That's going to be an elite skill as he progresses in this league.
4. Dylan Harper, Spurs
Given how dominant the Spurs backcourt rotation is, it's impressive that there's little drop-off in San Antonio's success when Harper comes into the game. The Spurs score 1.6 points more per 100 possessions when Harper is on the floor. It's not much, but it's proof that Harper is positively impacting the game.
He's a legitimate point-of-attack defender who just held his own against Derrick White and Jayson Tatum the other night. He attacks the rim at will, which creates open opportunities on the perimeter. Harper's not putting up massive numbers like some of his rookie counterparts, but no other rookie can say they're playing 20+ minutes on a team on pace to win 50+ games this season either.
3. VJ Edgecombe, 76ers
We may be in store for the early season version of Edgecombe now that the Sixers are down Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George for at least the next few weeks. We already got a vision of what that looks like in a win over the Grizzlies, during which Edgecombe finished with 21 points and five rebounds and assists apiece. If there were ever a time for Edgecombe to turn things around, it would be now.
He's struggled to efficiently put points on the board, shooting just 42% since Feb. 1. Tuesday night's game showed that the tide may be turning in his favor (46.7%). The Sixers will need him to find some consistency without their heavy hitters in the lineup.
Edgecombe is already a positive in other aspects of the game, whether that's effort on the defensive end or facilitating, but Philly will need him to dig out of the closet that version of himself from earlier in the season who was shooting nearly 40% from deep and in the high 40s from the field. If he can't, and if the Sixers don't get healthy soon, then they could find themselves tumbling even further down the standings in the East, where they currently hold a one-game lead over the Hawks for the eighth spot.
2. Cooper Flagg, Mavericks
Flagg recently returned from a foot sprain that held him out for eight games. In the four games he's played since, we haven't gotten the ultra-efficient version we've seen of him all season. He's gone 27-78 in the four games he's played since returning from the injury, and it's not because he's not getting good looks. He's shooting the ball plenty; the shots just aren't falling.
The No. 1 overall pick has been out of sorts since returning, and the frustration settled in during a loss against the Raptors during which Flagg was given the first technical of his professional career. After the game, Flagg acknowledged that he's noticed he's approaching the game differently since his return.
"I gotta be better at just slowing down a little bit," Flagg said. "Been playing a little too fast since I got back. I don't know. I was frustrated. Kind of let it out. Gotta just move on."
There's no worry or concern long-term about Flagg's ability to be a star in this league based on this four-game snapshot. But there's some obvious rust he's still shaking off since missing the most consecutive games of his young career. That said, he's still leading all rookies in scoring and his defensive impact is still providing positives for a Mavericks team that has one eye on their lottery standing at this point in the season.
While there are still about 20 games left to go in the season, it feels as though the foot injury and how he's performed since has nearly shut the door on the Rookie of the Year race. Flagg was already hanging on by a thin margin, and you have to look for any thread to pull at to decide a clear winner in this award race. Unless Flagg goes on a tear to end the season, one in which he's putting up massive numbers with elite efficiency, it's difficult to see him retaking the lead again.
1. Kon Knueppel, Hornets
Consistency has been Knueppel's calling card. Breaking the rookie record for most 3s in a season is old news. Now he's climbing the mountain only all-time greats have traversed. He broke Stephen Curry's record for most games by a rookie with 20+ points on 50/40/90 splits. He joins Curry and Larry Bird as the only rookies ever to record 1,000+ points, 300+ rebounds, 200+ assists, and shoot 40%+ from 3-point range.
He's done all this because he's consistent. He's hands down the best shooting prospect we've seen since Curry and, quite frankly, he might also just be the second-best shooter in the league behind the four-time champion. He's elevated the Hornets from fun rag-tag bunch to a team that has the ability to upset in the playoffs with the right matchup.
Knueppel's presence on the Hornets often makes me wonder how good this team would be without him on the roster. That's not to say he's the offensive engine that makes this team go, but Kneuppel does so much beyond just making 3s at a ridiculously high rate. The way he moves off the ball to create traffic jams and free up teammates, or the slightest flinch or misdirection with his body to throw off a defender, is an IQ lightyears ahead of where any rookie is.
His shooting gives the Hornets a full offensive arsenal balanced by LaMelo Ball's creative offensive mind and Brandon Miller's ability to be a chameleon every night. He's in many ways the missing piece for a Hornets team that's been in need of some evidence to take them seriously.
Knueppel may not be saddled with controlling an entire offense in the way that Flagg has been tasked with for most of the season, but he's carved out a role where he's still directly impacting the team's success. He's benefiting from having guys like Ball and Miller next to him, but he's not just standing in the corner waiting for the ball.
Knueppel was already nipping at Flagg's heels at our last check-in for Rookie of the Year. Now he's overtaken his former Duke teammate. It would be difficult to see him lose this top spot with a month of the season left, but with a race this close, there's still some margin for things to change. We'll have to see how the final month unfolds and if Flagg can deliver one final run to make this even more interesting down the stretch.
