Mavericks’ Jason Kidd plainly lays out why Cooper Flagg, not Kon Knueppel, should win ROTY

With Dallas Mavericks star Cooper Rookie a candidate for Rookie of the Year, there’s no doubt a massive debate is being had between him and Charlotte Hornets’ Kon Knueppel. As people continue to debate whether the Rookie of the Year race between the Mavericks forward and the Hornets’ dynamic shooter is close or not, head coach Jason Kidd gives insight into why his player should get the nod.

On the “Road Trippin Show” with Richard Jefferson, Kidd called in and was asked to make a case as to why Flagg should be the league’s Rookie of the Year this season over Knueppel. One of the eye-opening points that Kidd would make is that Knueppel is a “piece of the puzzle” for Charlotte, whereas Flagg “is the puzzle.”

“I don’t have to do a case. He’s done all the hard work; he’s put up the numbers,” Kidd said. “The only thing we haven’t done is won as a team. So, you know, I think we look at the numbers, he’s had a historic rookie season. Nothing against Knueppel. He’s a piece of the puzzle for the Hornets; Cooper is the puzzle. So, I really believe that he deserves Rookie of the Year. And that’s not throwing shade at Knueppel; Knueppel had a great year, too. But just the things, the names that he is attached to, are a little bit bigger than just shooting threes.”

Jason Kidd speaks the ROTY conversation

“[Cooper Flagg] had a historic rookie season. Nothing against Knueppel, he's a piece of the puzzle for the Hornets. Cooper is the puzzle… It's a little bit bigger than just shooting 3s.”

(via @RoadTrippinShow) pic.twitter.com/LGdCEnq8ch

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 10, 2026

The one reason that could be holding back the Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg

‘While some may say there’s obvious bias with Kidd since he coaches Flagg, there’s no denying that the rookie for Dallas has been impressive, averaging 21 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 46.7 percent from the field.

Knueppel is averaging 18.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 47.8 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three-point range, with the last statistic compared to Flagg’s 29.2 percent.

However, as Kidd alluded to, the Mavericks haven’t been doing a lot of winning, as the team is 25-55 with two games left before Friday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs. Charlotte is currently locked for a play-in tournament spot.

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