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4 days ago
Cooper Flagg edged his erstwhile Duke roommate to triumph nan NBA rookie of nan twelvemonth grant connected Monday night. Flagg is nan first rookie since Michael Jordan successful nan 1984-85 play to lead his squad successful points, rebounds, assists and steals.
Flagg and Knueppel were first and 2nd successful rookie scoring, nan first erstwhile assemblage teammates to execute nan feat since UConn stars Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon successful 2004-05. Philadelphia’s VJ Edgecombe was nan different finalist for this year’s award.
The 19-year-old Flagg is nan second-youngest subordinate to triumph nan grant down LeBron James.
Flagg and Knueppel traded places arsenic betting favorites for nan grant during nan season, but Flagg’s 96-point outburst complete 2 games connected nan penultimate play of nan play whitethorn person tipped nan scales.
The first of those games was Flagg’s 51-point showing for nan Dallas Mavericks against Orlando, nan first clip a teen has scored 50 successful nan NBA. He collapsed his ain grounds for a teen of 49, group against Knueppel and nan Hornets successful January.
“I spot nan games each night. I tin cheque nan container scores,” Flagg said erstwhile asked really adjacent of an oculus he kept connected Knueppel. “I deliberation besides I was watching Kon conscionable because that’s 1 of my brothers. We had specified a bully connection, and we’re gonna beryllium location for each different for nan remainder of our lives. I was watching him arsenic a instrumentality arsenic well, but location was evidently that title astatine nan aforesaid time.”
It was, arsenic expected, 1 of nan closest votes successful rookie of nan twelvemonth history. Only 26 points separated Flagg and Knueppel successful a balloting wherever 100 reporters and broadcasters who screen nan convention classed their apical 3 rookies, pinch 5 points going to first place, 3 to 2nd and 1 to third.
Knueppel, who was a one-and-done astatine Duke conscionable for illustration Flagg but turned 20 earlier his NBA profession started, became nan first rookie to lead nan convention successful three-pointers (273). He averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists, while shooting 42.5% from three-point scope to subordinate Larry Bird and Paul Pierce arsenic nan only NBA rookies to mean 15 points and 5 rebounds per crippled while shooting amended than 40% from beyond nan arc. Behind Knueppel, Charlotte won 44 games earlier being eliminated by Orlando successful nan last information of nan play-in tournament.
Flagg thought he was joining a playoff contender aft nan Mavericks took him No 1 overall. Knueppel was nan 4th pick. But Anthony Davis was sidelined again arsenic Dallas started slowly, and was traded to Washington earlier Flagg’s chap Duke alum, Kyrie Irving, could return from a knee injury. The Mavericks yet decided to support Irving retired nan full season.
Despite his team’s dependable descent successful nan standings, Flagg kept making history a twelvemonth aft starring Duke to nan Final Four. Flagg and Jordan are nan only rookies to grounds aggregate games of astatine slightest 45 points since nan NBA-ABA merger successful 1976-77.
“I deliberation you talk astir unit and things for illustration that, this play was a batch different going into it and what I was expecting and really nan play ended up turning out,” Flagg said. “I deliberation dealing pinch that and adjusting and benignant of getting thrown successful connected nan alert correct distant for illustration that helped maine semipermanent and passim nan play conscionable getting really comfortable. I deliberation I grew successful a batch of different areas.”
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