The Charlotte Hornets earned an all-important win on Thursday night, taking down the Phoenix Suns, 127-107. This took them to eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings for the time being after the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat suffered recent defeats, and considering how well they've been playing in the calendar year of 2026, they might be the favorite to hold on to that spot.
It helps that rookie sensation Kon Knueppel, who's been hitting a rough patch as of late, managed to get back on track on Thursday. He once again hit the 20-point mark, recording that exact tally on an efficient 7-14 shooting from the field. He added four triples on nine attempts on the night for good measure, and in so doing, Knueppel recorded a piece of history that has him in the company of the greatest shooter of all-time in Stephen Curry.
By scoring 20 points on 50/44/100 shooting splits in the win over the Suns, the Hornets rookie now has 20 games with at least 20 points on 50/40/90 shooting from the field this season. The only player in NBA history with more such games in a single campaign is Curry, who had 22 such games in the 2014-15 campaign and 21 such games in his unanimous MVP season in 2015-16, as per Real App on X (formerly Twitter).
Hornets' Kon Knueppel is no ordinary rookie
Knueppel is the favorite to win the 2026 NBA Rookie of the Year award for a reason. He's been ready to play in the NBA from the jump, as his jumpshooting-heavy playstyle has translated seamlessly from the college level.
He has been a huge part of the Hornets' turnaround this season, and considering how excellent he's been, it's hard to forget that he's only 20 years of age. He'll continue to scorch the nets for years to come, and his efficient volume scoring is going to make him a headache for opposing defenses to deal with.
