Kon Knueppel was once sprinting away with the NBA Rookie of the Year race, but that momentum stalled when he hit the rookie wall and Cooper Flagg surged late in the season. Most voters still kept Knueppel and Flagg locked into the top two spots, swapping them depending on preference. But The Athletic’s Tony Jones broke from consensus, placing VJ Edgecombe ahead of Knueppel for second place.
When you’re the only voter to drop Knueppel to third, it naturally raises eyebrows. At that point, it stops looking like a fair and honest evaluation and starts looking like a clear bias toward a preferred player. Jones covers the Sixers, grew up in Philadelphia, and his ballot reflects it.
Edgecombe had an impressive rookie year, no doubt. It just wasn’t on Knueppel’s level.
Pound for pound, Kon Knueppel clears VJ Edgecombe
The argument between having Flagg or Knueppel in first place is well debated, but Edgecombe has never entered those conversations. If you look at the resume between Knueppel and Edgecombe, you’ll see that it’s clearly evident that Knueppel clears by miles:
The debate over whether Flagg or Knueppel deserved the top spot was always legitimate, as both had the resume to make a real case. But Edgecombe was never part of that conversation. Stack his season next to Knueppel’s and the gap is glaring. By every meaningful measure, Knueppel clears him by miles:
Knueppel stats:
- 18.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 3.4 APG, 47.5 FG%, 42.5 3P%, 86.3 FT%
Edgecombe stats:
- 16.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 4.2 APG, 43.8 FG%, 35.4 3P%, 81.8 FT%
Knueppel achievements:
- Set a new NBA rookie record for three-pointers made in a single season, passing Keegan Murray
- First rookie in league history to lead the entire NBA in total three-pointers made
- Led all rookies in true shooting percentage at 63.3 percent
- Four-time Rookie of the Month winner
- Led Charlotte to a Summer League Championship and secured the MVP
- Unanimous All-Rookie first team selection
Edgecombe achievements:
- Scored 34 points in his NBA debut which broke Allen Iverson’s franchise record for most in a debut
- Led all rookies in minutes played
- One-time Rookie of the Month winner
- Unanimous All-Rookie first team selection
As you can clearly see, Knueppel’s resume is far more decorated. And it’s not as if one player carried a heavier load than the other—both attempted roughly 14 shots per game. When you put their production side‑by‑side under roughly the same usage, the gap becomes impossible to ignore.
What this really shows is how far ahead Knueppel was in terms of efficiency, impact, and consistency. Edgecombe had a strong rookie year, but Knueppel operated on an entirely different tier that was worthy of the top‑two conversation from start to finish.
Even another former Rookie of the Year gave him the stamp of approval. That’s why a lone third‑place vote stands out so sharply: it doesn’t reflect the season Knueppel had, only the bias of the person casting it.
Add us as a preferred source on Google