30 points + 24 points + 20 points! The first in history! No. 1 pick, don’t be careless, he wants to win the Rookie of the Year award

The waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead, and each wave is stronger than the last! The NBA regular season has been open for more than 20 days, and the league's three major stars, old, middle and young, have shown their strengths. The league's ratings have been soaring, and the competition for major awards has also entered a fierce state ahead of schedule. As of now, Antetokounmpo leads the scoring list with 33.4 points, Jokic leads the rebounding list with 13.1 rebounds and 10.9 assists, Daniels and Wallace jointly lead the steals list with 2.3 steals, and Wenbanyama leads the blocks list with 3.6 blocks. At the same time, the 2025 rookie class shines, and the competition for the best rookie is extremely fierce.

In the 2025 draft, in terms of popularity and expectations, no one can match the No. 1 pick, Flagg - he is a new generation of American sons and the new driver of the Mavericks. In the new season, Kidd asked Flagg to start as the point guard who is least good at it. This is obviously a big move. I hope he can make up for the weakest link! Flagg drives low and walks high, getting better and better! So far, Flagg has played in 12 games, averaging 15.1 points + 6.8 rebounds + 3.3 assists + 1.4 steals + 1.2 three-pointers per game. According to statistics, Flagg is the second player in NBA history to score at least 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in a single game multiple times before the age of 19. The other is James (10 times). At the same time, there is another rookie eyeing the Rookie of the Year trophy!

This person is not Xiao Ai, the 76ers prospect. Xiao Ai scored an astonishing 34 points in his career debut, and his performance of scoring in double figures in all the first seven games of the season was even more unmatched. So far this season, Xiao Ai has played 11 games, averaging 15.4 points + 5.5 rebounds + 4.3 assists + 1.4 steals + 1.9 three-pointers. However, Xiao Ai has hit the rookie wall recently. His shooting percentage in the past 5 games has been below 35%, and his scoring in 2 games was in single digits. Considering that George is about to come back, Xiao Ai's role will inevitably be affected. It is not easy for him to win the best rookie. He has to break through the rookie wall and compete with George. I would say the strongest contender for Rookie of the Year is Knipper, the No. 4 pick of the Hornets.

This season, Miller and Ball were injured, and Knipel seized the opportunity and frequently created surprises. Against the Wizards, Knipel contributed 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 three-pointers; against the Jazz, Knipel scored 24 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 three-pointers; against the Pelicans, Knipel contributed 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 three-pointers; against the Heat, Knipel scored 30 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 5 three-pointers. So far this season, Knipel has played in 11 games, averaging 16.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 3.2 three-pointers per game, with a three-point shooting rate of 39.8%. According to statistics from the NBA official website, Knipel scored a total of 167 points, 64 rebounds, 30 assists, and 32 three-pointers in the first 10 games of his career. He became the first player in NBA history to score at least 150 points and 30 three-pointers in the first 10 games of his career. He is unprecedented!

The NBA's official list of the best first-round rookies shows that Kniper rose to the top of the list (4th in the previous period), the Grizzlies' No. 11 pick Coward ranked second, and Flagg ranked third, followed by Edgcomb (1st in the previous period) and the Hornets' second pick. Round 4 pick Kalkbrenner (9th in the last period), Pelicans' 7th pick Fells, Wizards' 6th pick Trey Johnson, Pelicans' 13th pick Quinn (10th in the last period), Jazz's 5th pick Bailey (not on the list in the last period) and Warriors' 56th pick Richard (not on the list in the last period). I don't deny that Flagg is still the darling of the league. He is expected to play a more important role after the injury. But Kniper also has such an opportunity. He is stable and ruthless. He has already won the best rookie competition at the starting line. To sum up, No. 1 pick Flagg and No. 1 pick Xiao Ai, don’t be careless. No. 4 pick Knipel is also capable of winning the Rookie of the Year award! Fans and friends, what do you think of this? Come and leave me a comment to discuss.