Kon Knueppel is set to give the Hornets a needed boost on Wednesday night in Brooklyn.
Charlotte announced Tuesday that the sharpshooter has been upgraded to available and will make his season debut after missing the first eight games with a left hamstring strain. Hornets coach Charles Lee had already hinted Monday that Knueppel’s return was “right around the corner,” and there was growing expectation that Wednesday would be the target even before the official move to probable.
Knueppel, 21, was a major piece for Charlotte last season, appearing in 81 games and averaging 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 31.5 minutes per game. The fourth overall pick in last year’s draft shot .475/.425/.863 and made history as the first rookie in NBA history to lead the league in made three-pointers. He also finished second in Rookie of the Year voting behind former Duke teammate Cooper Flagg.
His return comes at a time when the Hornets could use any spark they can find. Coby White came back Monday from a calf strain, but Charlotte still managed only 91 points in a lopsided loss to Detroit and dropped to 3-5. Through eight games, the Hornets own a 100.4 offensive rating, which sits last in the NBA.
The offense isn’t expected to look the same without LaMelo Ball running the show, but Knueppel’s presence should help. Charlotte posted a 118.4 offensive rating in 2025/26, and that number climbed to 119.2 when Knueppel was on the floor.
There was also another injury update on Wednesday: forward Grant Williams was assigned to the G League so he could practice with the Greensboro Swarm, according to the team. Williams has not played this season because of a right hamstring strain, and the move suggests he may be getting closer to returning.
In Other News...
Grant Williams Return Still Leaves Hornets With A Frontcourt Problem
Grant Williams road back from a right hamstring strain has taken him to the Hornets G League affiliate, where Charlotte sent him to Greensboro for practice as he continues working toward a return. He has missed the first eight games, and for a team trying to sort out its frontcourt rotation, every day without him matters a little more.
Williams absence carries extra weight because this is not just a routine setback. He already worked back from a torn ACL and other knee injuries suffered in November 2024, then returned to play in January 2026, so the Hornets are being careful with a player whose recent injury history has already tested their depth. For now, the only certainty is that Charlotte still does not have a firm timetable for when he will be back in game action. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Finally Get Back A Shooter Their Offense Desperately Needed
The Hornets are getting a much-needed boost to their perimeter game with Kon Knueppel set to rejoin the lineup on Wednesday, giving the offense another shooter after a sluggish start to the season. The 2025 fourth overall pick made an immediate impression as a rookie, finishing as the runner-up for NBA Rookie of the Year and quickly establishing himself as one of the teams most reliable threats from beyond the arc.
Charlotte has been piecing together its rotation as other pieces have come back into the fold, including starting guard Coby White, while Grant Williams was recently sent to the G League affiliate for practice. Knueppels return matters because the Hornets have been searching for spacing and shot-making, and his presence should help open things up for a group that has been trying to find a better offensive rhythm. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Already Face A November Test They Can't Afford To Fail
The Hornets opened the season with a promising 3-1 start, but the tone has shifted quickly over the past week as the losses have piled up and the margin for error has started to shrink. A busy November is now waiting, with Boston and Cleveland on the schedule along with a run of Western Conference opponents, and Charlotte has already shown it cannot afford to waste the chances that do come its way.
Coby Whites return offered a small lift, with the guard back in the lineup and able to give the rotation another option in his season debut. Still, the bigger issue remains the same: Charlotte has to clean up its ball control and play with more consistency if it wants to take advantage of a month that includes some winnable games, because the schedule is about to ask a lot more of this group than the record suggests it can comfortably give. [Read more 🡒]