Kon Knueppel vs. Cooper Flagg is the Rookie of the Year debate we didn’t expect

The Rookie of the Year race has narrowed, and it has taken a familiar turn.

Former Duke teammates Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel are separating from the rest of the rookie class, and the debate is no longer about who belongs in the conversation. It is about who gets the edge.

Flagg has been exactly what the Mavericks hoped for. The hype followed him out of Duke, and he backed it up with production, two-way impact, and the look of a player built to run a franchise. Opportunity has been there. He has taken it.

Knueppel’s case with the Hornets is different. He is not the focal point. He is just relentlessly effective. Elite shooting. Smart movement. No wasted possessions. And he is doing it on a team fighting for something real.

Former All-Star Jeff Teague weighed in on his Club 520 show and sided with Knueppel.

“I think Cooper Flagg’s having a phenomenal rookie year,” Teague said. “But it comes with a lot of opportunity. Kon’s year is better because he’s with some gunners, and he’s not supposed to be doing what he’s doing.”

That framing has stuck. Charlotte is pushing for the postseason. Dallas is not. Context matters, even if voters pretend it doesn’t.

There are other rookies, including the 76ers’ VJ Edgecombe, but this race has become a two man discussion.

Different styles. Same Duke roots. One award.

The arguments are just getting started.