Voting shows Luka Doncic may have robbed Kon Knueppel of Rookie of the Year

The race for the 2025-26 Rookie of the Year award was one of the closest in NBA history. Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel and Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg each had powerful cases, with star-caliber statistics and a tremendous impact on team success working in both players' favor.

Flagg ultimately prevailed as Rookie of the Year, however, leaving one to ponder: Did Luka Doncic play a role in Knueppel missing out on a career-altering accolade?

Votes for NBA awards are typically submitted before the Play-In Tournament begins. Doncic delayed the process, however, when he submitted an appeal to the Association in regard to his eligibility for voter consideration after falling one appearance shy of the 65-game minimum.

Votes were thus delayed until after the appeal was completed on Apr. 16—two days after the Hornets' first Play-In Tournament game. That may have proved costly to Knueppel in regard to Rookie of the Year.

Prominent writer and NBA award voter Bill Simmons candidly stated that the Play-In Tournament influenced his decision to vote for Keldon Johnson over Jaime Jaquez Jr. for Sixth Man of the Year. It's unclear if the same transpired with Rookie of the Year, but it opens the proverbial can of worms to wonder how the Play-In influenced other voters.

As the voting for Rookie of the Year shows, Knueppel was well within reach of the award as he received just 12 fewer first-place votes than Flagg.

With this in mind, one can't help but wonder: Did Doncic's appeal cost Knueppel a regular season award he was seemingly within reach of winning?

Kon Knueppel loses Rookie of the Year by just 12 first-place votes

Knueppel had a brilliant 2025-26 regular season, but the Play-In Tournament did him no favors in the eyes of the skeptics. He shot just 2-of-12 from the field and 0-of-6 from beyond the arc during the Hornets' first Play-In outing against the Miami Heat.

The second game was played after the appeal process had concluded, but the damage was done to some degree as voters were given the same ammunition Simmons seemed to value.

It's an unfortunate potential twist, as Knueppel turned in a rookie season for the ages. He averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 3.4 three-point field goals made per game, shooting the lights out at a clip of .475/.425/.863.

Along the way, Knueppel became the first rookie in Association history to lead the NBA in three-point field goals made and set the all-time rookie record for three-point field goal conversions.

Flagg was undoubtedly spectacular for the 26-56 Mavericks, but Knueppel became one of the best players on a Hornets team that went from 19-63 in 2024-25 to 44-38 in 2025-26. He was third on the Hornets in scoring, second in assists, fourth in rebounding, and first in three-point field goals made.

Unfortunately, Doncic's appeal has at least opened the door to a painful question: Did the Play-In Tournament play a part in Rookie of the Year voting?

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