The NBA on Thursday named Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg and Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel the Rookies of the Month for December in the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively. It is the second straight monthly honor for both first-year players, who were college teammates last season at Duke.
Flagg, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2025 draft, produced 23.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steal across 13 games last month. The 19-year-old—he celebrated his birthday on Dec. 21—shot 51.6% from the field and 80.8% at the free-throw line while averaging 35.5 minutes. Dallas went 6-7 during the span but continues to lean heavily on the league’s youngest player.
Knueppel maintained his strong rookie form by averaging 20.8 points, 4.7 assists and 4.2 assists over 12 December contests. The Hornets sharpshooter posted an efficient .500/.462/.903 shooting split, sinking 4.0 three-pointers per game. Only Donovan Mitchell and Stephen Curry have made more threes this season than Knueppel, who has connected on 117 long-distance attempts overall.
Other Western Conference nominees for December were Grizzlies forward Cedric Coward, Spurs guard Dylan Harper, Mavericks guard Ryan Nembhard, Pelicans center Derik Queen and Kings center Maxime Raynaud. In the East, the league also considered Nets guard Egor Demin, 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe and Wizards guard Tre Johnson.
Source: Hoops Rumors
