Mavericks' cursed season just sparked a ridiculous Cooper Flagg take

With the Dallas Mavericks being 23-50 with less than 10 games remaining, this has led the NBA world to come to a controversial opinion about the Rookie of the Year Race and Cooper Flagg. Not only has Kon Knueppel passed Flagg in the Rookie of the Year race, but some people are even going as far as saying Knueppel is the better player.

The Ringer recently released their NBA player rankings, and Mavericks fans will be pleased to see Flagg at No. 47. This is an honorable ranking for the youngest player in the NBA, and Flagg should be proud of how much progress he's already made as a teenager. What they won't be as happy about is seeing Knueppel at No. 34, 13 spots ahead of Flagg.

Knueppel being ranked higher than Flagg is where things went too far

Knueppel has had an incredible rookie year, and the Charlotte Hornets wouldn't have had this dramatic a resurgence without him. They're on the verge of making the postseason for the first time since 2016, and Knueppel's rise has been a major reason for this.

He's averaging 19.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 48.7 percent from the field and 43.6 percent from downtown on 8.0 attempts per game. This type of efficiency on extremely high volume is rare, but despite him developing into one of the best shooters in the NBA, the Knueppel hype has gone too far.

He's not a better player than Flagg with less than a month remaining in the regular season, and this ranking only fuels this take even more. Knueppel deserves credit for exceeding expectations so quickly, but Flagg has done so even more.

Why Flagg deserves to be higher than Knueppel

Fans and media members alike expected Flagg to plant his flag on the defensive end of the floor. He was the most hyped defensive prospect in his class entering his rookie year, and while his defense has been stellar, his offense has been excellent as well.

Flagg is averaging 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game while shooting 47.3 percent from the field, and his offensive game has been far more advanced than anyone imagined. His basketball IQ has helped his passing and overall playmaking get to the next level, especially recently, and he has become one of the best young finishers in the league.

His scoring around the bucket went from a question mark to the staple of his offensive repertoire in just a few months, and this is a testament to the hard work that he's put in. Flagg's relentlessness and fearlessness when attacking the rim are what have made him special, and his left-handed finishes are looking just as strong as his right.

Flagg is thriving in a tough spot

Flagg is a two-way demon, unlike Knueppel, and he is having this dominant of a season despite the Mavericks putting him in an extremely tough position at times. Jason Kidd forced Flagg to play point guard early on, as well as at different times during the second half of the season, and the growing pains were in front of everyone's faces every game.

He's obviously so much better off the ball than as a primary creator, and Flagg has still had a spectacular year despite playing out of a position for a decent chunk of the season. Not to mention, Kyrie Irving hasn't played a single game all year, and Flagg has had this much success despite having inferior teammates around him (compared to Knueppel).

In Charlotte, Knueppel is the third-leading scorer behind LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. He also has Coby White and Miles Bridges alongside him, who are averaging 15.9 points and 17.2 points per game, respectively.

Knueppel has an excellent team around him, filled with strong scorers, making things much easier for him and the Hornets' overall success. Charlotte is back in headlines and one of the hottest teams in the NBA because of how they've played as a team, not just Knueppel's performance.

On the other hand, Flagg is seeing teams' top defenders every night and constantly getting double-teamed.

Flagg has had to take on a much bigger load than any other rookie in the NBA, and Dallas' roster has been flawed from the start. He's made the most of his situation, though, and when comparing him side by side to Knueppel, he's clearly the best player.

This would be a universal thought if the Mavericks were having as much team success as the Hornets, and this narrative could get even more out of hand if Knueppel edges out Flagg for Rookie of the Year.