Rookie Ladder Final: Knueppel Finishes #1 But Flagg Is Closing Fast

The 2026 Rookie of the Year race is going down to the wire — and it might be the best one in years.

Kon Knueppel finished atop the final Kia Rookie Ladder after a season where he shattered the NBA record for 3-pointers by a rookie with 265, obliterating Keegan Murray's old mark of 206. The Charlotte Hornets sharpshooter averaged 18.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists while missing just one game all year. His shooting and availability are the reasons Charlotte is in the playoffs for the first time in four years.

But Cooper Flagg isn't going quietly. The Mavericks' teenage phenom scored 96 points in a two-game stretch last weekend — including a 51-point eruption that broke Anthony Davis's rookie record for most points in a game. Flagg has actually flipped the ROY betting odds in his favor despite missing 8 games around the All-Star break with a midfoot sprain. Three games left. Two candidates. One trophy. This one's going to voters.