NBA announces January awards: Doncic and Brown named Players of the Month; Flagg and Knupel achieve three consecutive Rookie of the Month honors

04/02/2026 05:47:00 SportScoop

On February 4th Beijing time, the NBA officially announced the January monthly awards. Doncic and Jaylen Brown received Player of the Month honors, Flagg and Knupel were chosen as Rookies of the Month, Wembanyama and Osar-Thompson were named Defensive Players of the Month, and Suns coach Otte along with Hornets coach Charles Lee were recognized as Coaches of the Month.

Players of the Month: Doncic and Jaylen Brown

Lakers guard Luka Doncic was named Western Conference Player of the Month, while Celtics forward Jaylen Brown earned Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors.

During January, Doncic played in 15 games (missing one which the Lakers lost), helping the team to a 9-6 record. The All-Star guard led the league in scoring with an average of 34.0 points per game, shooting 50.6% from the field, 39.2% from three, and 74.7% from the free-throw line, while also contributing 9.1 assists, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game.

Doncic recorded four 30+ point triple-doubles in January and capped the month with a 37-point, 13-assist, 11-rebound performance against the Washington Wizards last week. This marks the sixth time in his career he has earned this distinction and his first time receiving the award since joining the Lakers nearly a year ago.

Brown is continuing his career-best season, appearing in 14 games in January (missing two, with the Celtics going 1-1 in those), leading Boston to a 9-5 record. He averaged 29.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. The 29-year-old scored a career-high 50 points against the Clippers on January 4th and posted a 27-point triple-double in a double-overtime win over the Nets on January 24th.

Although teammate Tatum has won Player of the Month five times in his career, this is Brown’s first time receiving the honor.

Other nominees:

West: Avdija (Trail Blazers), Durant (Rockets), Edwards (Timberwolves), Flagg (Mavericks), Alexander (Thunder), Leonard (Clippers), Murray (Nuggets)

East: Adebayo, Powell (Heat), Brunson (Knicks), Cunningham (Pistons), Embiid (76ers), Miller (Hornets), Mitchell (Cavaliers), Siakam (Pacers)

Rookies of the Month: Flagg and Knupel

Knupel from the Hornets and Flagg from the Mavericks were named the Western and Eastern Conference Rookies of the Month for January, respectively.

In January, Flagg averaged 20.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game; Knupel averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game.

This marks the third consecutive month these two Duke rookies have been named Rookies of the Month.

Other nominees:

West: Bailey (Jazz), Coward (Grizzlies), Love (Trail Blazers), Quinn (Pelicans)

East: Jemine (Nets), Achukum (76ers), Tre Johnson (Wizards), Boyles (Raptors)

Defensive Players of the Month: Wembanyama and Osar-Thompson

Spurs’ Wembanyama and Pistons’ Osar-Thompson were named the Western and Eastern Conference Defensive Players of the Month for January, respectively.

Western Defensive Player of the Month: Wembanyama (Spurs)

Ranks 2nd in the West for blocks: 2.2 per game

Ranks 2nd in the West for defensive rebounds: 8.2 per game

Spurs rank 2nd in the West for defensive efficiency: 108.1

Eastern Defensive Player of the Month: Osar-Thompson (Pistons)

Leads the NBA in steals: 2.4 per game

Ranks 5th in the East for deflections: 4.2 per game

Pistons rank 1st in the NBA for defensive efficiency: 104.8

Other nominees:

West: Dunn, Leonard (Clippers), Gobert (Timberwolves), Goodwin (Suns), Holmgren (Thunder), Amen-Thompson (Rockets)

East: Anunoby (Knicks), Daniels (Hawks), Mobley (Cavaliers), Sar (Wizards), Stewart (Pistons)

Coaches of the Month: Otte and Charles Lee

Suns coach Otte posted an 11-5 record in January, while Hornets coach Charles Lee went 11-6, earning them Western and Eastern Conference Coaches of the Month honors, respectively.