ESPN analyst compares Kon Knueppel to historic NBA sharpshooter

The Hornets' number 4 pick drew a rave review from Paul Biancardi

Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Heading into last night's draft, there were a lot of rumors about the Hornets trading down into the later stages of the lottery. However, Jeff Peterson and Co. ended up keeping the 4th pick and used it on 19-year-old Kon Knueppel.

Knueppel was part of a Duke squad that came up just short in this year's NCAA semifinals against Houston and included fellow lottery picks Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach. Most mock drafts projected him somewhere around the fourth pick, thanks to his marksman shooting ability (40.6% on 3pts) and high basketball IQ.

The Hornets' selection seemingly went over well with large parts of the fanbase and most experts around the league. One of the biggest compliments came from ESPN draft analyst Paul Biancardi, who praised Knueppel on X and likened him to one of the premier snipers in NBA history:

A pure shooter who excels both in catch-and-shoot situations and off the dribble. As a freshman at Duke, he demonstrated remarkable skill and consistency, finishing with a 40.6% shooting rate from beyond the arc and an impressive 91.4% accuracy from the free-throw line. He serves as a connector among teammates with his high basketball IQ, passing accuracy, and vision, making him easy to play with. His shooting prowess creates gravity, drawing the attention and focus of defenders. A Kyle Korver type.

ESPNs Paul Biancardi

For those unfamiliar, Kyle Korver was a 6'7" shooting guard out of Creighton, who played 17 seasons in the NBA between 2003 and 2020. He finished 15 of those shooting above 39% from three and earned one All-Star selection along the way.

Kyle Korver (left) next to LeBron James | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

While Korver was rarely the star of the show, he was a dependable and consistent player, both as a starter and 6th man. That's underlined by the number of playoff teams who counted on him to be part of their rotation throughout the years. He appeared in 145 postseason games total.

Knueppel measured 6'5" w/o shoes at the NBA draft combine, so he's a little bit smaller than Korver and probably won't ever be quite as good a shooter. But he should bring more value as a secondary or tertiary ball handler. If Kon can come close to the player Korver was, it's safe to say the Hornets made the right choice in drafting him.

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