With the NBA regular season wrapped up, it’s time for the final installment of our monthly awards rankings. The Rookie of the Year race is especially tight, with Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg at the center of a heated debate.
VJ Edgecombe, Derik Queen, Dylan Harper, Jeremiah Fears, and several others remain in the mix for the final spots on the ballot.
Here’s how our ballot shapes up:
1. Kon Knueppel
Knueppel shattered the rookie three-point record, doing so on a Charlotte team that has been the best in the NBA since the turn of the year.
It’s rare for a high draft pick to land with a competitive team. Knueppel didn’t step into one, he helped create it, playing a major role in lifting the Hornets from lottery fodder to a likely postseason team. Offensively, he was effective both off the bounce and as a versatile scorer. Defensively, he competed and contributed to a broader team-wide improvement.
This wasn’t a case of a rookie being carried by established stars. Charlotte’s success in 2025-26 doesn’t happen without Knueppel’s immediate impact.
The fact he was playing meaningful games down the stretch may not matter to every voter. Team success typically isn’t a major factor in Rookie of the Year, but in a race this close, it feels like a reasonable tiebreaker.
2. Cooper Flagg
Flagg’s traditional numbers are better. He scored more, assisted more, grabbed more rebounds, and had more stocks. Knueppel, however, finished with more total points and was significantly more efficient, posting a 63.3% true shooting mark compared to Flagg’s 54.8%.
High-profile scoring performances in the season’s closing months drew attention and boosted Flagg’s Rookie of the Year case. And to be clear, there isn’t a front office in the league that would choose Knueppel over Flagg long-term.
Rookie of the Year isn’t about projecting future value, though. It’s a vote on who had the best season, and context matters when comparing Knueppel’s playoff-chasing Hornets to Flagg’s tanking Mavericks.
In the end, the choice between the two comes down to preference. Flagg carried a heavier offensive load with less support, while Knueppel played a more direct role in winning, doing so with far greater efficiency.
3. VJ Edgecombe
Edgecombe at No. 3 is likely to be the most common selection when ballots are finalized. He isn’t breaking into the top two, and there’s a clear gap between the Sixers’ starting two-guard and the rest of the rookie class.
While less efficient than Flagg, Edgecombe leads all rookies in minutes, sits just one assist behind Flagg and Ryan Nembhard, and has scored more points than any other rookie.
Everything he’s shown points to long-term stability as a starter. There’s All-Star potential here, and he projects as an ideal backcourt fit alongside Tyrese Maxey for years to come.
4. Dylan Harper
If playing competitive games helped push Knueppel ahead of Flagg, it should also matter for Harper when compared to Queen, Fears, Maxime Reynaud, and Ace Bailey.
Harper’s role was naturally limited on a roster featuring De’Aaron Fox, Devin Vassell, and Stephon Castle. Even so, he showcased his adaptability, finding ways to contribute to winning despite his limitations as a shooter.
He’s scored more points per 100 possessions than Edgecombe and Bailey, and he’s comfortably ahead of Flagg, Knueppel, Edgecombe, and Bailey in assists per 100 possessions.
5. Derik Queen
This was the toughest call on the ballot. Queen’s role diminished in recent weeks, while Reynaud piled up double-doubles on a struggling Kings team after stepping in following Domantas Sabonis’ injury.
Fears also made a push. His scoring gave Queen’s teammate a legitimate case, especially with several big performances and a full 82-game season under his belt. That durability has to count for something in this race.
Still, it’s important not to overreact to the final stretch. Queen looked like a standout earlier in the season. There are clear defensive concerns, but he averaged 19.1 points and six assists per 100 possessions, along with more stocks than his reputation might suggest.
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