Cooper Flagg's legendary weekend just flipped the Rookie of the Year race on its head

There shouldn't be any debate in voter's minds as to who the Rookie of the Year should be, and the odds are backing it up.

Will Miller

Dallas Mavericks, Cooper Flagg / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Cooper Flagg took the Rookie of the Year race into his own hands after the past two games, as Flagg scored 51 points versus the Orlando Magic on Friday, followed by a 45-point, eight-rebound, and nine-assist performance against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night. Flagg's former college roommate, Kon Knueppel, was the betting favorite to win the award ahead of Friday night, but now FanDuel Sportsbook has Flagg listed as a -210 favorite to win the award after the weekend.

With only six games remaining in the season ahead of Friday night, it seemed like Knueppel had the Rookie of the Year award in a firm grasp, at least from a national standpoint, but Flagg did the unthinkable within a two-game span, and now the odds and media are reflecting their favoritism toward him.

Even before the odds shifted in Flagg's favor, he undoubtedly still had a solid case to win the award, as Knueppel's praise mainly came from the standpoint of how efficiently he's shot the ball this year, as well as the fact that he's helped lead the Charlotte Hornets into the East playoff race. While these are definitely impressive feats, they simply don't compare to what Flagg has done this season, as Flagg has impacted nearly all facets of the game in a more complete fashion compared to Knueppel.

Cooper Flagg is now the betting favorite to win ROTY

Flagg is a two-way stud, and the early-season trials from playing point guard are starting to pay off for him in a huge way. When his 3-point shot is falling, he's a complete three-level scorer, with an elite finishing package with either hand, as well as someone who gets to his spots in a controlled manner.

The things he's doing as a 19-year-old rookie are simply uncanny, and while it may have taken elite back-to-back performances with the season winding down for the sportsbooks and national media to see this, it's great he's finally getting the flowers he rightfully deserves.

While Rookie of the Year typically isn't weighted heavily toward team success, Knueppel helping the Hornets get back in the playoff race seemed to give him a clear advantage in the Rookie of the Year race, but it's simply irrefutable to claim he should be the favorite now, barring he does something similar to what Flagg has done over the past two games.

Flagg's two-game explosion leaves voters with no choice

While Knueppel wasn't necessarily ahead of Flagg by a wide margin to win the award, it seemed like he was going to take the cake in the eyes of voters, even if Mavericks fans vehemently disagreed with it. However, the greatest of players get what they want when it comes down to it, as Flagg is leaving no debate as to who the Rookie of the Year should be at this point.

Defying the odds is something Flagg is accustomed to at this point, whether it be how quickly his offensive game has developed in his first NBA season, being one of the only NBA players to ever come out of Maine, or taking hold of the Rookie of the Year race in the final stretch of the season. These are all hallmarks of a franchise player, and Dallas is lucky they got just that following the disaster of the Luka Doncic trade.

Will Miller

Will Miller is a senior contributor and is in his second year with The Smoking Cuban. Will has been following the Dallas Mavericks for over a decade and is currently working on getting a Bachelors in Science in Sports Journalism from the University of North Texas, as he is also covering sports for the North Texas TV station. While Will is opening up his coverage to cover other sports for UNT, basketball and the Dallas Mavericks are his true passion and he hopes to continue writing and producing Mavericks related content as his career continues. Will has very solid in-game analysis and knowledge about the intricacies of the game, and has a very broad understanding about the NBA as a whole. Going forward Will is looking to be more expansive in his coverage of the Mavericks beyond writing as well. Outside of writing about the Mavericks, Will enjoys hanging with friends, going to the gym, and watching other sports and live events.