NBA Rookies: Kon Knueppel will Play Crucial Role in Play-In Opener

Tonight, the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat will face off in the NBA’s first postseason game, the Play-In bout between the Eastern Conference’s ninth and tenth seeds, respectively.

The Play-In games have been a roaring success since their inception a few years ago, offering action ahead of the league’s traditional seven-game series. The ninth and tenth seeds in the respective conferences will face off in a win-or-go-home game, advancing to the loser of the seventh and eighth seeds for a Playoffs bid.

Miami and Charlotte are set to kick things off, offering one of the more interesting matchups in the event.

Charlotte’s been one of the best teams in the league since the turn of the new year, though they still weren’t able to do enough in the back half of the season to earn an auto-bid to the postseason. Now, they’ll need to beat Miami, and the loser of Orlando and Philadelphia to grab the eight-seed, which would pit them against the Pistons.

Interestingly, the Hornets’ hopes of doing so could rest in the hands of one of its youngest and most inexperienced players: rookie Kon Knueppel.

A 6-foot-5 wing, Knueppel’s been a revelation for the Hornets so far this season, seeing what is likely their best-ever debut season. Through 81 of 82 games, he averaged 18.5 points on 48% shooting, tacking on 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game in earning Rookie of the Year acclaim alongside his friend and former teammate in Cooper Flagg.

What Knueppel has done from beyond the arc is fairly incredible, leading the league in 3-pointers made at just 20-years-old, making 273 in total at a 43% clip from outside. He shot nearly eight per game, cashing in on 3.4 per contest. In doing so, he became the NBA’s first-ever rookie to lead the league in 3-pointers made, smashing the rookie record previously held by Keegan Murray in the process.

Kon Knueppel is now the first rookie in NBA history to lead the league in three-pointers made.

Unreal. pic.twitter.com/FnnFWzBm9U
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 13, 2026

Now, the Hornets need Knueppel to continue his play into the postseason, starting with Miami.

Knueppel’s helped to make up a three-headed monster alongside LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller on the perimeter, with the trio combining for 58.8 points per game, largely from outside. Ball finished just one 3-pointer behind Knueppel on the season, becoming the first duo since Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to sit atop the 3-point standings.

Rookies have historically had a hard time making an impact in the postseason, though given Knueppel's unprecedented season, it doesn't feel out of the realm of possibility that he could shake that off too. He's an immensely high-feel player, able to rapidly process the right play to make on a possession to possession basis.

If the Hornets are to win their way to the Playoffs, Knueppel will need to be special. Though he's made a habit of being just that over the last calendar year.

The Hornets and Heat will tip off at 6:30 p.m. from Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC.

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