By Jamal Baker
NDG Sportswriter
Cooper Flagg’s historic and sensational rookie season is close to being capped off with some hardware to add to his trophy case, as he received a nomination for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award on Sunday.
Flagg averaged 21 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals this season, and became the youngest player in NBA history to score 40 points in a game when he dropped 42 points against the Jazz in December.
Flagg also broke his own record for highest-scoring game by a teenager when he scored 51 points against the Orlando Magic on April 3.
“He should be rookie of the year,” Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said. “The country is not watching the same thing we get to watch on a daily basis. He’s in rare air.”
The former Duke Blue Devil joined Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird, Luka Doncic and Michael Jordan as the only rookies to average at least 21 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in a season—rare air indeed.
Being mentioned among some of the greatest to ever grace the hardwood is no coincidence when it comes to the ceiling and trajectory of Flagg’s career.
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Flagg’s all-around game and versatility on both ends of the floor are why he will end up being one of the top five players in the league in a couple years.
“We’ve seen a historic rookie season,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “We have the best fans. But we also have one of the best players — present at the age of 19, and the future.”
While Flagg has lived up to every bit of the hype he received as a prospect coming out of college, Dallas finished the season with a 26–56 record.
With the return of Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II, plus some luck in the NBA Draft lottery, the Mavericks should be well-positioned to have a vastly improved record next season.
“He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do, and he’s done it at a high level and with a smile,” Kidd said. “He enjoys the game. He wants to win. He’s a great teammate. He’s a great player to coach.”
Although Flagg has cemented himself as the most talented rookie, the race is still a tight one with him being joined by Kon Knueppel and VJ Edgecombe as finalists.
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Knueppel made the race interesting with his special ability to space the floor and move without the ball. He averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 42.5% from the three across 81 games.
Knueppel also became the first rookie in NBA history to lead the entire league in 3-pointers with 273.
Knueppel deserves his flowers, but the difference between him and Flagg is that Flagg is a player you build your entire team around, while Knueppel will serve as a critical accessory piece alongside another star.
“It’s two different ballparks,” Mavericks forward P.J. Washington told The Athletic earlier this month. “He’s 19, doing what he’s doing. Being the main guy is a lot harder than being a rotational player hitting corner shots or just hitting 3s. He’s initiating most of our offense. To be 19 doing that is unheard of.”
It has not yet been confirmed when the Rookie of the Year winner will be announced but it should and hopefully will be none other than Mr. Flagg.
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