At this point, it’s safe to say that the standard-bearers of the 2025 NBA rookie class are the Dallas Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg and the Charlotte Hornets’ Kon Knueppel. Flagg, the first overall pick, and Knueppel, the fourth overall pick, are leading all rookies in scoring and are looking like absolute studs for their respective teams.
Flagg is leading all first-year players in scoring and is the only one averaging at least 20 points so far. He’s also coming off an impressive streak of scoring at least 30 in four consecutive games. Knueppel, on the other hand, is proving to be the best marksman among this crop of rookies, drilling 179 from deep already on 43% shooting from downtown.
Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel Almost Make History
To illustrate just how good Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel have been this season, they nearly joined elite company. According to ESPN, Flagg and Knueppel nearly became the fourth pair of rookies to each score 1,000 points before the All-Star break in the last 45 seasons. The only pairs to do it so far are:
- Paolo Banchero and Bennedict Mathurin (2022-23)
- LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony (2003-04)
- Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon (1984-85)
Knueppel, who’s averaging 18.9 points per game this season, got to 1,000 after dropping 20 in Charlotte’s loss to the Detroit Pistons. He’s heading into the All-Star break with 1,021 points after firing 18 more in the Hornets’ 110-107 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday.
Flagg, meanwhile, is averaging 20.4 points a game and would’ve surely breached 1,000 in the Mavs’ last game before the All-Star break—a showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. Unfortunately, the Mavs ruled out Flagg for that game due to foot issues, leaving him with 999 points thus far.
So, yes, Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel will miss history by a single point.
