The Dukies are duking it out.
Let’s dive into the odds for NBA Rookie of the Year at DraftKings Sportsbook as of April 9.
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NBA Rookie of the Year 2025-26
Cooper Flagg: -290 (bet $10 to win $13.45 total)
Kon Knueppel: +210 (bet $10 to win $31 total)
This one has been a wild ride, and continues to be.
After being selected No. 1 by Dallas in the 2025 NBA Draft, Flagg opened as the favorite to win Rookie of the Year at -185.
On March 12, Knueppel overtook Flagg. While Knueppel maintained the top spot for a few weeks, a couple of outrageous performances from Flagg catapulted him back into the lead with just days left in the regular season.
On April 3 against Orlando, Flagg put up 51 points, including 24 in the fourth quarter. He became the youngest player in NBA history to score 50 points in a game.
Then, on April 5 against the Lakers, Flagg went for 45. He became the first rookie since Allen Iverson, way back in 1996-97, to have back-to-back 40-point games.
Those are the outrageous performances we were talking about, and as of April 8 afternoon, Flagg was the -290 favorite, while Knueppel sat at +210.
But then, on April 8 evening, in the Mavs’ loss at Phoenix, Flagg scored 11 points on 4-for-18 shooting, and as of April 9, Knueppel is favored once again.
Wild.
Flagg is averaging 21 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists for the Mavs, while Knueppel is putting up 18.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists for the Hornets. Knueppel’s Hornets are also guaranteed to at least make the play-in, while the Mavs are already eliminated from playoff contention.
In addition, Knueppel has broken the record for 3-pointers made in a season by a rookie. He’s made 268 so far, the most in the NBA. The previous record was 206 (Keegan Murray, 2022-23).
