Cooper Flagg expresses happiness for Hornets' Kon Knueppel: 'Great situation'

The Charlotte Hornets picked up their first win of the preseason on Saturday against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges led Charlotte in scoring with 20 points apiece. Ryan Kalkbrenner started at center for the Hornets and finished with a double-double: 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Kon Knueppel was Charlotte’s leading scorer off the bench, dropping 12 points and four rebounds in 22 minutes. It wasn’t Knueppel’s best performance in a Hornets uniform to date, as he did have five turnovers.

Nonetheless, Knueppel’s former teammate, Cooper Flagg, talked positively about Knueppel following the game.

Cooper Flagg has nothing but good things to say about Kon Knueppel

Former Duke Blue Devils wing Cooper Flagg and guard Kon Knueppel. | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Flagg and Knueppel were teammates and roommates last season at Duke University. After a full season of college ball together, Flagg went No. 1 overall in the NBA draft to the Mavericks, and Knueppel went No. 4 overall to the Hornets.

The two players will forever be linked, and from the sound of it, they’ll remain close friends forever, too.

Flagg spoke with the media about Knueppel following Saturday’s preseason game. The Hornets also have two other former teammates of Flagg’s — Sion James (Duke) and Liam McNeeley, who played high school ball with Flagg at Montverde Academy.

"It was cool," Flagg said about facing the Hornets. “Having three former teammates on the same team, being able to play against them at this level is pretty cool. I just feel blessed to have this opportunity to play against them."

🎙️ Cooper Flagg on Kon Knueppel: "#4 pick is a big deal."

"...that's going to be a friend of mine for life. I think he's in a great situation, in a great spot, and I'm just so happy for him moving forward with the opportunity that he has."pic.twitter.com/W2YmAsexDU
— r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) October 12, 2025

Flagg then zeroed in on Knueppel.

"The No. 4 pick is a pretty big deal, so just being happy for him," Flagg continued. "That is somebody who is going to be a friend of mine for life, so just happy for him. I think he is in a great situation and a great spot. I'm just so happy for him moving forward and the opportunity that he has."

Flagg finished the game with 11 points, four assists, three rebounds, three steals, and five turnovers against Charlotte. He’s looked NBA-ready in preseason and figures to be a prominent member of Dallas’ rotation from the get-go.

Knueppel started all 39 games for Duke in 2024-25. It's still unclear whether he will be in Charles Lee's Opening Night starting lineup for the Hornets, but there's a good chance of that happening.

Duke’s fingerprints on the 2025 draft go beyond Flagg, Knueppel, and James. Khaman Maluach was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the No. 10 overall pick, and Tyrese Procter landed with the Cleveland Cavaliers at No. 49 overall.

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