Charlotte Hornets Starting Lineup Featured Two Rookies in Opening Night Win

The Charlotte Hornets have had an encouraging few months.

After the group won its first NBA Summer League title in July, Charlotte kicked off the 2025-26 campaign with a convincing win against the Brooklyn Nets. The game featured a number of rookies and other young players on both sides, with a pair of 2025 NBA Draft picks starting for the Hornets.

One of Brooklyn's 2025 first-round picks also started on Wednesday in a contest filled with young talent. For Charlotte, Brandon Miller scored a game-high 25 points in the Hornets' 136-117 win, with LaMelo Ball chipping in 20 points.

Alongside the two aforementioned players, Charlotte received solid contributions from a handful of players, including Kon Knueppel and Ryan Kalkbrenner.

The two 2025 NBA Draft picks each started for the Hornets, logging more than 25 minutes apiece in their professional debuts.

Knueppel, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 class, tallied 11 points, 5 rebounds and an assist while shooting 4-of-6 from the field and 3-of-4 from 3-point range. Knueppel finished as a +10 in the box score, playing solid minutes for a Hornets team that has plenty of interesting young pieces.

The former five-star recruit averaged 14.4 points, 4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and a steal per game while shooting 47.9% from the field and 40.6% from beyond the arc in his lone season at Duke. Now, Knueppel has the chance to fill a similar role on a Hornets' squad that already has multiple scoring threats and ball-handlers in Ball and Miller.

If Knueppel continues to knock down shots and play solid defense on the perimeter, like he did in college and in his NBA debut, he will be a valuable rotation player for Charlotte as a rookie.

Kalkbrenner logged a double-double in his NBA debut, finishing with 10 points, 11 rebounds, an assist and 2 blocks while shooting 5-of-6 from the field. With the Hornets' lack of depth at the center position, the former Creighton big man should have a big role for Charlotte this season.

If his performance on opening night was any indication, Kalkbrenner should be a serviceable center for a young team that is still developing.

Of course, one game against a young Brooklyn team isn't enough to annoint Knueppel or Kalkbrenner as future stars, but the duo looked in its first NBA action.

Ben Saraf, who was in Brooklyn's starting lineup on Tuesday night, finished his NBA debut with 8 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 0 turnovers while shooting 2-of-7 from the field. Fellow first round pick Egor Demin tallied 14 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal in 22 minutes off the Nets' bench, shooting 4-of-6 from the field.

Fellow 2025 NBA Draft picks Sion James, Nolan Traore and Drake Powell each logged a few minutes as well, but didn't make as big of an impact as their rookie counterparts.

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