The Charlotte Hornets are still on the outside looking in when it comes to the Eastern Conference playoff picture, but there’s a new energy in Buzz City - and a big part of that is thanks to rookie guard Kon Knueppel.
Knueppel has quickly gone from promising prospect to one of the league’s most talked-about young stars. He’s not just in the Rookie of the Year conversation - he’s leading it.
His play has caught the eye of fans, analysts, and even NBA legends. Charles Barkley, never one to mince words, gave the rookie a glowing shoutout on Inside the NBA, saying, “That young man Kon Knueppel is flat-out balling.”
Barkley also noted that while the Hornets haven’t been relevant for a while, this year’s squad is playing with real effort - and Knueppel is a big reason why.
At 18-28, Charlotte sits in 12th place in the East, three and a half games behind the 10th-seeded Atlanta Hawks for the final play-in spot. That might not sound like much, but considering they won just 19 games all of last season, this team is already showing major growth - and Knueppel is at the heart of it.
The rookie has played in 44 of the Hornets’ 46 games, starting 43 of them and averaging just over 32 minutes a night. His numbers?
Impressive across the board: 19.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. He’s doing it efficiently, too - shooting 48.2% from the field, 42.3% from three, and a deadeye 90% from the line.
That’s not just good for a rookie - that’s elite, full stop. He leads all rookies in scoring, ranks top-10 in rebounding, and sits top-five in assists.
Knueppel came into the league as part of a stacked Duke starting five that all heard their names called on draft night - including his current Hornets teammate Sion James, along with Cooper Flagg, Khaman Maluach, and Tyrese Proctor. That group was loaded with talent, but it’s Knueppel who’s making the biggest early splash in the NBA.
And he’s not doing it alone in Charlotte. The Hornets now boast a young core that’s quietly starting to gel: LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, and Knueppel give this team a foundation that could be dangerous in the not-so-distant future. Ball’s playmaking, Miller’s scoring touch, Bridges’ versatility, and Knueppel’s all-around game - that’s a group you can build around.
The Hornets still have work to do if they want to claw their way into the postseason, but they’ve got something they haven’t had in a while: a real reason for hope. And at the center of it is a rookie who’s not just playing like a veteran - he’s playing like a star in the making.