Cooper Flagg's Rookie of the Year hopes just got one more lifeline

Don't count out Cooper Flagg yet. I don't think Mavericks fans were doing that, to be fair, but most of the NBA world seemed ready to crown his former Duke teammate (and current Charlotte Hornet) Kon Knueppel Rookie of the Year. As of late, though, it's the Mavericks' star rookie who looks like the best pick of last year's NBA Draft. Is a late push enough to get Cooper Flagg back on top of the ROY ladder?

Over the past five games, Knueppel has scored over 15 points just one time. Granted, that one time was a 26-point, 11-rebound, 8-assist banger, but he's had a few rough games as we wind down the season. Flagg, meanwhile, has scored at least 17 points in each of his past five games, including at least 24 points on at least 50% shooting in each of his last three.

A small sample size near the end of the season is obviously just that — a small sample — but in a race that's been so close all year long, a weeklong stretch could swing the voting one way or the other... That is, as long as people are still watching the Mavericks.

Cooper Flagg might be screwed by playing for a bad team

The Dallas Mavericks have long been eliminated from playoff contention and are more interested in increasing their draft lottery odds over the next few weeks. That may be what keeps Flagg just behind Knueppel, who plays on a Hornets team that has been sweltering hot since Christmas and will be a nightmare for some high-seeded Eastern Conference team in the first round of the playoffs.

In other words, most folks have completely tuned out the Mavericks (and it's hard to blame them) while locking into the thrilling Hornets. While a rookie can often overcome a bad team to win ROY, if two guys are essentially tied for the award, the tiebreaker may just be team success — something that Knueppel, admittedly, has contributed to in Charlotte.

If Cooper Flagg doesn't win the award, it's important to note that Knueppel would be deserving. He's had one of the most remarkable shooting seasons for a rookie ever. If it's efficiency you want, then you won't be mad at the Hornets young star taking home the award. But Flagg's raw statistical profile (20 / 6 / 4 / 2.1 stocks) is certainly that of a Rookie of the Year, too.

If he wants that to matter, he'll likely need to finish off the season the same way he's played the past three games. I don't think the race is over, but it will take a Herculean effort from Flagg to overtake Knueppel for good.