The race for NBA Rookie of the Year was practically settled in late January and early February. Cooper Flagg, the Dallas Mavericks’ all-world teenager, put together four consecutive eye-opening games from Jan. 29 to Feb. 5.

He scored a then season-high 49 points against the Charlotte Hornets, followed by 34 points against the Houston Rockets, 36 against the Boston Celtics, and 32 against the San Antonio Spurs. Four impressive performances against four playoff teams. Flagg showed up and showed out and proved to the basketball world that he’s more than capable of carrying a franchise. After all, he is the Maine Event.

Flagg’s 49-point outing on Jan. 29 came against his chief rival in the rookie race, Kon Knueppel. Knueppel spoiled his former Duke Blue Devils teammate’s night with 34 points, including the clinching free throws with 4.1 seconds left to give the Hornets a 123-121 victory.

Even though Knueppel got the win, the game felt more like a coming-out-party for the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Flagg did more than enough to win the Rookie of the Year award. Years from now, we’ll look back and have a good laugh at how this was even a discussion.

Flagg is a generational talent. Guys like him don’t come along every year. Knueppel is a specialist. It’s easier to find a player with his skill set.

Flagg was the front runner to start the season, made a big move since the All-Star break, and he put an exclamation point to his rookie campaign with a 51-point burst against the Orlando Magic on April 3. The 19-year-old became the youngest player in NBA history to score 50 points.

The Dallas Mavericks forward followed up his historic game with a 45-point effort against LeBron James and the L.A. Lakers on April 5. Flagg is the first rookie to score at least 40 points in back-to-back games since Allen Iverson in the 1996-97 season.

Flagg ranks in the top five in all the meaningful statistical categories. He is first in points (21.2), fourth in rebounds (6.7), second in assists (4.6), third in steals (1.2), and fifth in blocks (0.9).

About the only stat that Flagg doesn’t dominate is wins and losses. His Mavericks are in the bottom tier of the Western Conference and bound for the lottery again. The Mavs have been decimated with injuries and haven’t been whole all season.

All-Star guard Kyrie Irving missed the entire season while recovering from an ACL injury and center Dereck Lively was also sidelined for the season due to a foot injury that required surgery. All-Star center Anthony Davis, the main piece the Mavs received in the Luka Doncic trade, was traded to the Washington Wizards just ahead of the February trade deadline. The move was largely seen as a reset for the the Mavs to build around Flagg.

Despite all of Flagg’s spectacular performances and impressive statistics, many basketball pundits — including highly respected experts such as Bill Simmons and Steve Aschburner — are not convinced that Flagg is the top rookie in the 2025-26 season.

Simmons and Aschburner are on the Knueppel side of the rookie debate. They both believe Knueppel deserves to win ROY because he’s had the better season based on his impact for the playoff-bound Hornets.

Charlotte had more than doubled its victory total from last year and put together a top-five offensive rating thanks to the threat of Knueppel’s outside shooting.

Aschburner wrote on NBA.com:

Aschburner’s argument about winning being a major factor in postseason awards isn’t wrong but it is flawed. If we’re putting all our eggs on team standings then VJ Edgecombe deserves to be in the ROY conversation because the Philadelphia 76ers wouldn’t be in the playoffs without Edgecombe’s contributions. As a matter of fact, an strong case could be made that Edgecombe has had a larger impact on his team because he’s had to fill in as the No. 2 option behind Tyrese Maxey due to all the injuries the Sixers have dealt with all season.

It is true that the addition of Knueppel has made the Hornets better. He has quickly established himself as one of the elite shooters in the NBA, breaking Keegan Murray’s mark for most 3-pointers made by a rookie. He leads the league in total 3-pointers made, averaging 3.4 per game, and he ranks in the top 10 in 3-point percentage (42.7%).

There’s no question Knueppel has had a significant impact on the improved Hornets. But Kon is a role player. He’s the third or fourth option on the Hornets. He has far less responsibilities on offense and defense. By contrast, there is a ton of responsibilities on Flagg’s plate.

Flagg is not only the primary playmaker but he’s also asked to make plays on defense. Flagg is asked to do more with less talent around him. Knueppel is mainly a 3-point specialist who has to rely on his teammates like LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges to get him shots.

Over 80% of Knueppel’s 3-pointers made have been assisted, primarily by Ball. Flagg, on the other hand, creates 51% of his shots on his own through post-ups and dribble drives. He is the focal point of the Mavericks offense while Knueppel is the floor spacer on the Hornets.

Here’s a question for all basketball media types: Would you pay money to see Kon Knueppel? Or would you rather pay money to see Cooper Flagg? Would you pay money to watch Knueppel shoot 3s or would you pay money to watch Flagg pull off a highlight-reel play?

We know what most of them would say.

Joel Huerto is editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. He hosts a sports podcast on YouTube @onemanfastbreak1.

Mike Krzyzewski has led Duke to four national championships and 15 Final Fours. (GETTY IMAGES)

Mike Krzyzewski recently became the winningest coach in Division I men’s college basketball. He surpassed his friend and mentor, Bob Knight, who had 902 victories during his Hall-of-Fame career.

Krzyzewski notched victory No. 903 at Madison Square Garden in front of many of his former players at Duke. Spearheaded by a truckload of All-Americans during his 31 years as the King of Durham, N.C., Coach K has had some of the best teams in college basketball. He won four national championships and reached the Final Four 15 times. But which team is the best? OneManFastBreak.net examines Krzyzewski’s five greatest teams:

5) 2010: SINGLER SENSATION

What started out as a good team turned into a great team by season’s end. The 2009-10 Duke team lived and rarely died by the 3-point shot. Led by forward Kyle Singler and guards Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith, the sharp-shooting Blue Devils led the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring margin (+16.2), free throw percentage (.761), 3-point field goal percentage (.382) and 3-point field goals made (7.4 per game). Scheyer, Singler, and Smith became the second trio in Duke history to each score at least 600 points in a season. Singler saved his best for the NCAA Tournament as he was named the most outstanding player of the Final Four in leading the ACC champions to a 61-59 victory over Butler in the championship game in Indianapolis. Duke finished the season 35-5.

4) 2001: BATTIER TESTED

The 2000-01 Blue Devils, which finished 35-4 and 13-3 in the ACC, may have been Coach K’s most talented team with six players drafted in the NBA, and five remain active in the league.  The anchor of the team was Carlos Boozer. The 6-9 chiseled forward, who currently plays for the Chicago Bulls, was one of the best low-post players in college, averaging 18 points and nearly nine rebounds per game during the 2000-01 season. Boozer was surrounded by snipers in the perimeter. Forward Mike Dunleavy Jr., the son of the former NBA great and a member of the Indiana Pacers, was a deadly 3-point shooter and can handle the ball like a guard. Jay Williams was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft, but his career was cut short by a devastating knee injury suffered after a motorcycle accident. Point guard Chris Duhon (Orlando Magic) and forward Dahntay Jones (Pacers) were very strong perimeter defenders and didn’t mind doing the dirty work. The most celebrated player from the 2001 team was Shane Battier. The 6-8 forward, who now plays for the Houston Rockets, was a Krzyzewski’s favorite and the emotional leader of the Blue Devils. Battier’s No. 31 jersey is one 13 numbers hanging in the rafters at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

3) 1991: REBEL SLAYERS

One of Krzyzewski’s motivational tactics is to never allow his teams to forget losses. When Duke was destroyed by UNLV in the 1990 national championship game, Krzyzewski admitted that his team was simply not on par with the Runnin’ Rebels but he made sure the core group of that Duke team (Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley and Brian Davis) never relinquished the taste of that bitter defeat. The 30-point loss to UNLV remained in the minds of his players, and they responded by using that setback as motivation. The rematch between Duke and UNLV in the 1991 Final Four was probably Krzyzewski’s finest hour as a coach. He kept reminding his team they were better than Jerry Tarkanian’s Rebels, even though he told the media the Rebels were the superior team. Krzyzewski had been to three straight Final Fours prior to 1991, and he was undeservingly being labeled as can’t-win-the-big-one coach. He proved everyone wrong with a stunning upset of undefeated UNLV, which boasted future NBA standouts Larry Johnson and Stacey Augmon. The 1990-91 Duke squad, which finished 32-7, may not have been Krzyzewski’s most physically talented team, but it was his strongest team mentally.

2) 1986: THE FOUNDATION

Even though the 1985-86 Blue Devils team lost in the NCAA championship game to Pervis Ellison and the Louisville Cardinals they remain the school’s most important team. Why? Because Johnny Dawkins, Tommy Amaker, Jay Bilas, David Henderson, Danny Ferry, Billy King, Quin Snyder, and Mark Alarie were the foundation of Coach K’s program. Without them, there would be no Duke Dynasty. They were there during the infancy stages of the program when many doubted if Krzyzewski’s system was going to be successful. Amaker and Dawkins formed arguably the best backcourt in the ACC. Dawkins led the team in scoring (20.2 points per game) and was a consensus All-American. Alarie, Henderson and Bilas started in the frontcourt while King, Snyder and Ferry, a talented freshman, provided scoring punch off the bench. The ’92 team won a record 37 games and had just three losses.

1) 1992: THE LAETTNER SHOW

Duke and Kentucky staged an all-time classic NCAA Tournament battle in the 1992 East Regional final at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. Down by a point with 2.1 seconds left Grant Hill throws a perfect length-of-the-court inbounds pass to Christian Laettner, who grabs the pass at the free throw line, takes one dribble and swished a fadeaway jumper at the buzzer to advance Duke to the Final Four. It is one of the most dramatic plays in the history of the tournament, and it led to Krzyzewki’s second consecutive national title. The 1992 Duke team – which won 34 games and finished 14-2 in the conference – was led by Wooden Award winner Laettner. The 6-10 forward never lacked in confidence and his swagger permeated throughout the team. Laettner was surrounded by excellent perimeter players: Bobby Hurley, Thomas Hill, Grant Hill and Brian Davis. Thomas Hill was a shooting guard who could score in the paint and Davis completed Laettner in the frontcourt with his energy and athleticism. Grant Hill, a sophomore in 1992, was the team’s Swiss army knife. He could play four of the five positions and can create his own shot. Hurley was the point guard from New Jersey who may not fit the mold of a classic basketball player but he always got the job done and ran the offense to near perfection. Krzyzewski says his ’92 team was not only his most confident team but it was also his most determined. Laettner and Co. won the NCAA title the previous season and had a huge bulls-eye on their chest. But they cleared every hurdle and became the first team since Wooden’s UCLA squad to win back-to-back championships.

— (Home page photo courtesy of US Presswire)

Duke is the defending national champions and they have a Hall-of-Fame coach conducting practice. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski recently told the Associated Press that he doesn’t think it’s fair to say a team is trying to repeat when there have been so many changes since his team topped Butler for their fourth national championship.

“To repeat is a bad word (to use),” said the known as Coach K, “… What you want to do is have the same result, of winning the national championship, but figure out what journey you’re going to be on along the way. And so pursue is a good word for me, and develop. We’re going to be a developing team throughout.”

The Blue Devils reloaded their roster this season with the addition of super freshman Kyrie Irving. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound point guard from West Orange, N.J., is an upgrade from Jon Scheyer, who had a decent career in Durham.

Duke captured the 2010 NCAA Tournament title with a victory over Butler. (Associated Press)

Irving is super quick and a very good ball-handler. If he stays more than a year, he’ll go down as one of the best point guards in school history – and Duke has a long history over outstanding point guards, from Tommy Amaker to Bobby Hurley to Chris Duhon. Irving will most likely pair with senior Nolan Smith in the backcourt.

Final Four MVP Kyle Singler returns for his senior season, and he’ll shoulder the load on offense. Forwards Mason and Miles Plumlee will anchor the frontcourt and transfer Seth Curry – son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry and brother of current Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry – will provide scoring off the bench.

Krzyzewski is trying to temper expectations from this group, but if his core lineup stays healthy and there is no reason why Duke shouldn’t make a return trip to the Final Four and take dead aim at Coach K’s fifth national championship.

Here’s the AP preseason top 10 (first-place votes):

1. Duke (55)

2.Michigan St. (8)

3.Kansas St. (2)

4.Ohio St.

5.Pittsburgh

6.Villanova

7.Kansas

8.North Carolina

9.Florida

10.Syracuse