NBA Rookie of the Year 2026: Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel Steer Clear on Christmas Day Power Rankings (Dec. 25)

Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel are dominating the 2026 NBA Rookie of the Year (ROY) race heading into Christmas Day. The former Duke teammates have steered clear of their rivals after sensational weeks where they again remained neck-and-neck.

Meanwhile, Derik Queen, VJ Edgecombe, Dylan Harper, Cedric Coward, Jeremiah Fears and Egor Demin also showed out, keeping things interesting in the weekly power rankings.

Queen and Fears have led the New Orleans Pelicans to a 5-1 run, starting over veterans Zion Williamson and Jordan Poole.

On the other hand, Harper has been as crucial as anybody on the San Antonio Spurs amid a seven-game winning streak, including stunning results against the defending champions, the OKC Thunder, in two outings.

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However, there are only so many positions to offer in a top-five list. Here's a look at who made it in this week's 2026 NBA Rookie of the Year power rankings.

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NBA Rookie of the Year 2026: Latest Power Rankings

Notable mentions:

#10 Egor Demin

#9 Hugo Gonzalez

#8 Ryan Kalkbrenner

#7 Maxime Raynaud

#6 Jeremiah Fears

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#T-5 Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs

Last week's ranking: 7 (↑2)

Season stats: GP 19 | PPG 12.2 | RPG 3.2 | APG 3.9 | SPG 1.0 | TPG 1.6

FG 46.2% | 3-PT FG 27.7% | FT 71.7%

Dylan Harper storms back into the top five of the ROY power rankings after making significant contributions to the Spurs' six-game winning streak. The No. 2 pick averaged 8.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 5.0 apg and 1.3 steals on 46.7% field goal, 33.3% 3-point and 80.0% free throw shooting. Harper was a plus-minus +13.5 through those four games.

His understanding and feel for the game can't be talked about enough. Harper has mastered being an efficient player early in his career, and he is only improving at it. Take Tuesday's game, for example, against OKC, in which he finished with only four points, but had 10 assists and five steals with zero turnovers.

Harper took only three shots and made two of those, but the Spurs were comfortably winning his minutes due to his smart play.

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#T-5 Cedric Coward, Memphis Grizzlies

Last week's ranking: 4 (↓1)

Season stats: GP 29 | PPG 13.5 | RPG 6.2 | APG 2.9 | SPG 0.6 | TPG 1.6

FG 46.4% | | 3-PT FG 32.1% | FT 81.9%

Cedric Coward drops down a spot in this week's rankings despite another consistent week. Derik Queen and VJ Edgecombe outplayed the Memphis Grizzlies rookie, leading to this shake-up in the power rankings.

Coward averaged 15.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 4.5 apg and 1.0 tpg in two games last week. He shot 52.6% and 44.4% from 3-point range, which was one of the highlights of his week.

Coward was also among the rookies with a positive plus-minus (+3.5) despite Memphis losing both games. He remains one of the bright spots on the team as their best 3-and-D wing and potentially one of the top players in the league in that role.

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#4 Derik Queen, New Orleans Pelicans

Last week's ranking: 6 (↑2)

Season stats: GP 31 | PPG 13.4 | RPG 6.8 | APG 4.1 | SPG 1.0 | TPG 2.3

FG 51.6% | FT 79.8%

Derik Queen's time away from the top five of the ROY power rankings didn't last more than a week. The New Orleans Pelicans center continues to turn heads despite carrying immense pressure on his shoulders due to Joe Dumars swapping a 2026 first-round pick for his services.

Last week, Queen regained his position in the top five after a phenomenal run of performances, averaging 18.3 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.0 spg and 1.0 bpg on 58.0% shooting, including 37.5% from 3-point range (2.0 attempts) in four games. He displayed massive improvement in production in all major areas.

Queen also recorded three consecutive double-doubles, extending the Pelicans' winning streak to five games before their loss to Cleveland on Tuesday. That game appeared to be Queen's best during this stretch with 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists on 50.0% shooting from the field, including 2 of 3 from long range.

He was a plus-minus +10.5 in that stretch.

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#3 VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia 76ers

Last week's ranking: 5 (↑2)

Season stats: GP 24 | PPG 16.0 | RPG 5.5 | APG 4.0 | SPG 1.3 | TPG 1.7

FG 43.2% | 3-PT FG 38.3% | FT 78.3%

VJ Edgecombe's strong comeback has extended to another week, sustaining his positive impact on a veteran-rich team as a starting combo guard. Edgecombe was the leading scorer among rookies last week, albeit playing only twice. He averaged 24.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.0 apg and 1.0 spg, shooting 51.3% from the field, including 35.3% from deep.

Edgecombe was a plus-minus +8.5, leading the Sixers to two wins over the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks. He came out on top in his duel against ROY rival Cooper Flagg on Saturday, scoring 26 points, six rebounds and four assists on 47.6% shooting.

While Flagg has dominated clutch stats among rookies, Edgecombe has also impressed in limited opportunities. Among rookies, he ranks second in total clutch points with 33 on 65.0% field goal and 62.5% 3-point shooting in 19 games. Edgecombe's splits are the best among all rookies with at least 10 field goal attempts in the clutch.

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#2 Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets

Last week's ranking: 2 (=)

Season stats: GP 30 | PPG 19.4 | RPG 5.2 | APG 3.5 | SPG 0.7 | TOV 2.4

FG 47.4% | 3-PT FG 41.9% | FT 89.5%

Kon Knueppel is trailing Cooper Flagg for the second straight week, but it's a very close contest, and anything can happen given the Hornets' rookie's consistency. Knueppel has remained the rookie scoring leader after averaging 21.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 4.0 apg in four games last week. It was a memorable stretch for Knueppel, who became the fastest player in the NBA to make 100 3-pointers (in 29 games).

Knueppel lost his edge to Flagg in scoring and playmaking this week. Knueppel averaged 3.0 turnovers a game while recording 4.0 assists. Nevertheless, he continued to cement himself as an A+ shooter with tremendous consistency that hasn't been seen before from a rookie.

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#1 Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks

Last Week's Ranking: 1 (=)

Season stats: GP 30 | PPG 19.2 | RPG 6.4 | APG 3.8 | SPG 1.2 | BPG 0.8 | TOV 2.1

FG 48.7% | 3-PT FG 26.7% | FT 80.6%

Cooper Flagg remains No. 1 after averaging 24.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 5.5 apg and 1.8 bpg in four games last week. He shot 51.5% from the field, including 38.5% from 3-point range.

Flagg almost had his first triple-double in his previous outing on Tuesday against the 2023 NBA champions, the Denver Nuggets. He tallied 33 points, nine rebounds and nine assists on 14 of 21 shots from the floor and a career-best 4 of 6 from long range.

In 10 games during December, Flagg has recorded less than 20 points only three times. As of Wednesday, he's scored 68 clutch points (fourth in the NBA) in 22 games on 47.7% shooting. Flagg has recorded 26 clutch rebounds and 10 clutch assists, ranking first and second, respectively.

He's entering All-Star territory during this stretch, putting up numbers that are unfathomable for a rookie who turned 19 on Monday.

Edited by Arhaan Raje