Despite not playing a sport for the Dallas Mavericks in over a 12 months, Los Angeles Lakers celebrity Luka Doncic just helped his previous crew without even realizing it.
Dallas has been campaigning exhausting for Cooper Flagg to win Rookie of the Year over the previous couple of weeks. From giving “Ain’t No Pressure” packing containers that showcase Flagg’s rookie season to media members to persistently posting about it, they’re doing every little thing they will to assist him win the award that he rightfully deserves.
Ballots for end-of-season awards ought to’ve been turned in earlier than the Play-In Tournament. But with Doncic interesting his eligibility for these awards after he performed in just 64 video games regardless of the minimal being 65, this straight helped Flagg’s Rookie of the Year case as a consequence of the different frontrunner’s collapse.
Luka Doncic’s attraction delayed ballots at the good time
The Charlotte Hornets pulled out a slim victory over the Miami Heat in the first spherical of the play-in earlier this week, however Kon Knueppel had one of the worst games of his profession.
When the lights had been brightest, Knueppel completed with six factors on 2-12 capturing from the area and 0-6 from downtown in 34 minutes. He additionally posted a team-worst -20 plus-minus.
To make issues even worse, Hornets head coach Charles Lee subbed him out of the sport for Coby White with lower than two minutes remaining once they had been down by six factors. Charlotte was capable of ship the sport to additional time after White’s heroics, and Knueppel did not sniff the court docket in additional time.
How can the Rookie of the Year be sitting on the sidelines with the season on the line?
This is the very last thing that Knueppel wanted as he pushes to win Rookie of the Year, and this poor efficiency in the largest sport of his NBA profession goes to go away a foul impression on voters — giving Flagg what he must win.
The postseason is not presupposed to have an effect on voting, however anybody who was watching that sport noticed Knueppel’s crew pull off an exciting win with him on the bench. Lee did not need his rookie sharpshooter in the sport when every little thing was at stake, and so they nonetheless gained.
This Rookie of the Year race has been flawed from the begin
This encapsulates precisely why the narrative of Knueppel main the Hornets to this enormous bounce-back season has been utterly overblown. He actually impacts profitable and is one of the finest shooters in the NBA, however loads of components led to Charlotte profitable 44 video games this season.
LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller staying comparatively wholesome gave them an enormous increase, and Miles Bridges is one of the higher fourth choices in the whole NBA.
The Hornets did what they had been presupposed to do after lastly getting a wholesome season from Ball and Miller. Knueppel helped their case, however Charlotte securing the ninth seed does not outweigh Flagg’s spectacular season.
Flagg is in uncommon firm
He joined Michael Jordan as the solely rookie since 1973-74 to guide their crew in factors, rebounds, assists, and steals. Flagg is in uncommon air, and he should not be penalized for Dallas having a foul season.
Rookie of the Year has by no means been about profitable, and that shouldn’t start now.
If Knueppel hadn’t put up this stinker in opposition to Miami, he might need been strolling away with Rookie of the Year over Flagg. But due to Doncic’s attraction pushing poll submission again, Flagg acquired the juice he wanted to have a a lot better shot at turning into the first Mavs participant to win Rookie of the Year since, guess who?
Luka Doncic.
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