Flagg, Knueppel Earn NBA Rookie of the Month Honors for October and November
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The NBA on December 2 named Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg and Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel the Western and Eastern Conference Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in October and November.
It marks the first time since the league began presenting the honor by conference in the 2001-02 season that both recipients attended the same college program. Flagg and Knueppel were teammates at Duke during the 2024-25 campaign.
Flagg’s Western Conference resume
Selected No. 1 overall in June, the 18-year-old Flagg averaged 16.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.4 steals in 34.0 minutes over his first 20 NBA games. He shot 46.2 percent from the field and 80.3 percent at the free-throw line, though he connected on just 25.3 percent of his three-point attempts. Flagg capped November with a career-best 35-point outing in a victory over the Clippers.
Other Western Conference nominees were Memphis forward Cedric Coward and New Orleans rookies Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen.
Knueppel’s Eastern Conference numbers
The fourth overall pick quickly became a primary offensive option in Charlotte, contributing 18.4 points on .470/.413/.898 shooting through 20 games. The 6-6 guard also posted 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest.
Philadelphia guard VJ Edgecombe and Hornets center Ryan Kalkbrenner rounded out the Eastern Conference nominations.
Flagg currently holds a slight edge over Knueppel in most Rookie of the Year betting markets, with both players considered clear favorites against the rest of the 2025-26 rookie class.
Source: Hoops Rumors
