Kon Knueppel’s rookie year was good enough to put him in rare air, and now the Hornets forward is being treated like one of the league’s top young players entering Year 2.
In a ranking that already has Knueppel sitting 43rd among NBA players, he lands just ahead of Washington Wizards point guard Trae Young and just behind Utah Jazz big man Lauri Markkanen. For a player who didn’t take home the 2025-26 Rookie of the Year award, that kind of placement says plenty about how loudly he announced himself in Charlotte.
The production backed it up. Knueppel averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 47.5% from the field, 42.5% from 3-point range and 86.3% at the foul line. He also led the NBA in 3-pointers, a stunner for a rookie season that kept piling up milestones.
He opened by winning the first four Rookie of the Month awards, becoming the first Hornet ever to collect the honor four times. From there, the list kept growing.
At age 20, he became the only player in NBA history age 22 or younger to record 250 3PM in a season against New York on March 26. He passed Michael Jordan for the NBA rookie record for most games with 20+ points on 65% true shooting, reaching 27 against Miami on March 6 in his then-rookie-leading 14th 25-point game.
Knueppel also set the NBA rookie record for 3-pointers made in a season with 207, doing it against Indiana on Feb. 26 with a career-high-tying and franchise-rookie-record-tying 8 3PM. That total tied his own franchise rookie mark. Later, at Atlanta on Feb. 7, he set a new NBA record for most games with 5+ 3PM by a rookie with 14.
On Dec. 31 against Golden State, he broke the rookie record for most games with 20+ points on 50/40/90 shooting splits, finishing with 12 and moving past Stephen Curry’s previous standard.
The Hornets also noted that Knueppel is one of only three rookies in NBA history, minimum 25 games played, to average 15 points and 5 rebounds while shooting 40% from deep. The other two are Larry Bird and Paul Pierce.
With Brandon Miller now alongside him as one of Charlotte’s new franchise players after the LaMelo Ball trade, the Hornets are leaning into a new era. Charlotte hasn’t made the playoffs since 2016, but Knueppel’s rise has given the organization a centerpiece with serious upside.
The Hornets will open the 2026-27 season on the road against the Brooklyn Nets, with their home opener coming against the Atlanta Hawks.
In Other News...
Brandon Miller Just Put Serious Pressure On The Hornets
Brandon Millers emergence has put Charlotte in a familiar but important spot: the Hornets now have a young cornerstone worth paying like one. Miller is eligible for a five-year, $275 million extension, and after a season in which he averaged 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists, the team has every reason to treat this as more than a routine contract decision. With LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges already moved out in the roster overhaul, Miller has moved closer to the center of everything Charlotte wants to build.
The timing matters because the Hornets are expected to open the season with a newly constructed lineup that includes Miller alongside Coby White, Kon Knueppel, Naz Reid and Moussa Diabat. If no deal comes together, Miller will be headed toward restricted free agency next offseason, and that creates a real test for a franchise trying to reset while also locking in its best young piece. For Charlotte, the next step is not just about keeping Miller happy, but about proving the new version of the roster has a clear direction. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Miller Faces One Huge Test As Hornets Bet On His Leap
LaMelo Balls move to Minnesota leaves Charlotte with a different kind of offensive center of gravity, and Brandon Miller is now the player the Hornets are counting on to help carry it. Entering the new season, Miller was ranked No. 49 on Bleacher Reports list of top NBA players, a reminder that he already has leaguewide respect even as the next step in his game becomes the bigger storyline for this team.
For the Hornets, the bet is straightforward: Miller has to score more and create more, because Charlottes push toward the playoffs starts with someone turning promise into nightly production. If he makes that leap, the conversation around the Hornets changes fast, especially for a franchise trying to end a drought that has stretched for more than a decade. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Miller Is Giving Hornets Fans A Reason To Believe
Brandon Millers return from a shin contusion gave Hornets fans an early reminder of why he is such an important part of Charlottes future. In the preseason win over Milwaukee, he put up 18 points in 23 minutes and looked like a player settling back in quickly, with the kind of comfort and activity that can carry over once the games start to matter.
Charles Lee liked what he saw from Miller on both ends, particularly the way he stayed involved defensively and offensively. Miller said his confidence is growing with the effort and winning plays he is stringing together, and for a Hornets team looking for reasons to believe, that matters just as much as the box score. [Read more 🡒]