It's a two-horse race for the NBA's Rookie of the Year Award between two Duke players: Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel.
Flagg entered the year as the obvious favorite, and he's led the race for most of the year, but Knueppel is making a huge push after beginning the season more off-the-radar.
With Flagg ailing with a midfoot injury, the door has been left open for Knueppel to steal the spotlight from his former teammate. And the sharpshooting wing has not wasted his opportunity.
In his rookie season, Knueppel has already emerged as one of the best 3-point shooters in the NBA. On Thursday night against the Indiana Pacers, Knueppel connected on a ridiculously efficient 8-of-12 from three on his way to 28 points in a blowout win for the Charlotte Hornets.
His sixth made three of the night set a new NBA record. It was his 207th of the season, which surpassed Keegan Murray's 2022-23 season in Sacramento for the most in NBA history as a rookie.
There are 22 games left in the season.
KON KNUEPPEL.
— NBA (@NBA) February 27, 2026
MOST THREES EVER BY A ROOKIE 🚨 pic.twitter.com/1aPSC2c3SO
Kon Knueppel set the NBA record most made threes by a rookie in NBA history
It's the second consecutive game that Knueppel made NBA history, which is just becoming routine during his stellar rookie season. During Tuesday night's rout of the Chicago Bulls, the former Duke star became the fastest player in NBA history to get to 200 career made threes.
His current pace would put him at 286 made 3-pointers for the season, which would be tied for the 14th most in a single-season in NBA history.
It's not hard to imagine in a few years that Knueppel might make a run at Steph Curry's single-season record for 402 made threes. He's shooting 44% from three on the season, and should be shooting more per game than he currently is.
Knueppel has a legitimate shot at unseating Flagg for the Rookie of the Year award. He recently took the lead on the NBA's Kia Rookie Ladder, and with Flagg's status moving forward uncertain, and the Hornets positioning themselves for a playoff berth, Knueppel is going to continue opening eyes on bigger stages.