Dallas‘ Cooper Flagg and Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel had been Duke teammates final season. For the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award, they’re principally rivals.
The former Blue Devils had been anticipated to end first and second — in some order — for the NBA’s rookie award, which shall be introduced shortly previous 7 p.m. EDT on Monday. Flagg and Knueppel had been first and second in rookie scoring this season, the first former faculty teammates to try this since UConn stars Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon did in 2004-05.
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Philadelphia‘s VJ Edgecombe can also be a finalist for the rookie honor.
“NBA ROTY announced tonight, still hoping for a tie,” learn a publish on Duke basketball’s X account Monday.
Such a end is not unheard of.
There have been three ties for Rookie of the Year — two of them involving Duke gamers, Elton Brand and Grant Hill. Brand and Steve Francis tied in 2000, Hill and Jason Kidd in 1995 and Dave Cowens and Geoff Petrie tied in 1971.
The rookie award is the sixth to be introduced by the NBA since the finish of the common season. The others:
— San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama was the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year.
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— Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bought 96 of a doable 100 first-place votes to win the Clutch Player of the Year award.
— San Antonio’s Keldon Johnson received Sixth Man of the Year.
— Boston’s Derrick White received the Sportsmanship Award. That award, not like most others, is chosen solely by energetic gamers.
— Atlanta’s Nickeil Alexander-Walker received Most Improved Player.
Other award bulletins but to be scheduled embody MVP (both Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama or Denver’s Nikola Jokic) and Coach of the Year (both Detroit’s J.B. Bickerstaff, San Antonio’s Mitch Johnson or Boston’s Joe Mazzulla).
The NBA will announce the Executive of the Year, the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year and the Hustle Award winner later this week.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
