The Charlotte Hornets struck gold with their selection of sharpshooting wing Kon Knueppel with the fourth overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft. Knueppel has made an instant impact for the Hornets, leading their surge towards the Eastern Conference playoff picture thanks to his consistent excellent play. Many believed that his skillset would translate rather easily to the NBA game, but even the most optimistic of Knueppel supporters could not have foreseen that he'd play this well this early in his pro career.
On Tuesday night, in a comfortable win over the floundering Chicago Bulls, Knueppel had another routine solid game, putting in 21 points on an efficient 7-12 from the field and 3-6 from beyond the arc as the Hornets built a lead that stretched over 30 points.
Knueppel entered the night just two three-pointers shy of the 200 mark for his career; in nailing the triples, he needed just 58 games to cross that mark, which is the fastest anyone has ever done in NBA history, as mentioned by the official ClutchPoints account on X (formerly Twitter).
The Hornets sharpshooter is on the fast track to being one of the most prolific outside marksmen in the history of the league, and considering how important of a skill shooting is especially in today's NBA, Knueppel is well on his way to being one of the best players in the league.
Kon Knueppel is the jewel of the Hornets rebuild
It's becoming a no-brainer that Knueppel truly is the crown jewel of the Hornets rebuild. LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller are incredible players in their own right, but Knueppel's unstoppable scoring ability and efficient volume production from beyond the arc has quickly made him one of the most valuable players in the association, especially considering that he's only 20 years of age.
On the season, Knueppel is averaging 19.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game on 49/44/89 shooting splits.
