Cooper Flagg has finally surpassed Kon Knueppel, who has dominated the Rookie ladder for most of the regular season, in the NBA Rookie of the Year odds after stitching a dreamy run last week. After he performed at the highest level against LeBron James and the LA Lakers, adding 45 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists in 39 minutes, he shared a confident take about his ROY case.
The ROY contender earlier shared an emotional take about his rookie season with a team that has completely gone into the rebuilding phase. He even stated the impact of losing consecutive games, even though he gives his best every time he takes the court. However, the Dallas Mavericks handed the Lakeshow their second consecutive loss just before the postseason.
Flagg, who had two steals and one block against the Lakers, seemingly turned that emotion into fuel with back-to-back 40-point games and did not mince words when asked about his ROY prospects this season. He said:
“I think it’s definitely some sort of statement. But it just goes back to what I said: I’m confident in myself, and I know what I’m capable of. I’ll just let the rest of the stuff figure itself out.”
At the start of the week, Knueppel had -300 odds of winning the prestigious award, and Flagg was second with +225. The Duke University roommates have dominated the rookie ladder this season, as the New Port native has now become the youngest player in the NBA to have back-to-back 45-5-5 games.
“It’s a dream come true,” Cooper Flagg shares feelings on winning against LeBron James
The Lakers were without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, which allowed Cooper Flagg to test his skills against the great LeBron James. King James almost scored a triple-double with 30 points, nine rebounds, and 15 assists, but the team’s weak defense was fully exposed. Only Deandre Ayton had a block in the game, and the team had a total of six steals while the Mavs had 11 steals and five blocks.
Flagg was pleased to register a win against the third seed of the Western Conference and his childhood hero. He said:
“He’s somebody that, when I was little kid watching him go through his whole career. It’s really impressive, obviously first of all, just to watch him, seeing him be able to do the things that he’s still able to do out there. It’s a dream come true.”
Even though the Mavs are out of playoff contention, the management would be happy to see the rookie proving his value as a leader in the upcoming seasons. Meanwhile, Luke Kennard was the only positive the Lakers could take from the game. Scoring a triple-double with 15-16-11, he showed JJ Redick that he can play like an efficient ball-handler during non-Luka minutes in the postseason.
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