Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg is still viewed as the favorite to take home Rookie of the Year honors as he navigates through the start of the 2025-26 season.
“Cooper will win it going away,” an Eastern Conference executive told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst. “This class is great, but Cooper will show who he is as the season goes on.”
Flagg’s large role within Dallas’ offense could factor into his candidacy.
“If Flagg stays healthy, he should win it because he’s the best player with the biggest responsibilities,” a Western Conference executive told Bontemps and Windhorst.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft has averaged 15.1 points per game to open his inaugural season, which ranks No. 3 among all rookies.
Flagg has still been able to showcase his all-around impact by recording 6.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks on a nightly basis. He’s also shooting 48.2 percent on two-point field goals.
While Flagg has only connected on 28.6 percent of his threes this year, his 82.5 free-throw percentage indicates that his long-range shots should start to fall with more consistency soon. He also hit 38.5 percent of his triples during his freshman season at Duke.
Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe and Charlotte Hornets forward Kon Knueppel have also made compelling cases for Rookie of the Year to open the season, but Flagg still appears to be the top contender.
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