Charlotte Hornets Player Preview: Kon Knueppel

The 2025-26 Charlotte Hornets were one of the most prolific three-point shooting teams in NBA history.

Charles Lee's squad bombed away from long-range with (borderline) reckless abandon and were successful in doing so. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Hornets attempted the second-highest percentage of their field goal attempts from three-point range (45.2%) in the league and connected on 38.1% of them, the third-best conversion percentage in the NBA.

A major reason for their success was rookie sharpshooter Kon Knueppel.

The fourth-overall pick entered the NBA with meager expectations. Knueppel was billed as a connective offensive piece with untapped on-ball potential that could develop over time. A prospect who would land somewhere on a continuum between Corey Kispert and Desmond Bane.

It didn't take long for him to blow those expectations out of the water.

Knueppel smashed every rookie shooting record on his way to leading the league in three-pointers made. Even though he sputtered down the stretch of the regular season and in the Play-In Tournament, Knueppel cemented himself as a cornerstone of the Hornets' rebuild and set a high bar to clear in year two.

So, what comes next for Knueppel in year two?

The biggest change for Kon will be absorbing an increased responsibility with the ball in his hands. According to Jeff Peterson, it seems like Charlotte is going to employ a shot creator by committee approach on offense with both Knueppel and Brandon Miller seeing an uptick in ball handling responsibilities alongside Coby White.

If there was one wart in Knueppel's rookie year profile, it is his lack of volume and efficiency as a passer. For a player who can bend a defense to its limits with his shooting gravity, Kon was unable to parlay that into any meaningful playmaking numbers. According to nbarapm.com, Knueppel finished below average in rim assists per 100 possessions and three-point assists per 100 possessions.

Can he evolve from being a connective playmaker who turns down good shots for great ones into a primary ball handler who uses his gravity and strength to create good looks for others? That's one of the biggest developmental leaps I'd like to see from Knueppel in year two.

The other is his ability to get to and finish at the rim.

Knueppel attempted 21% of his field goal attempts at the rim (28th percentile) and finished 65% of them (48th percentile). In his exit interview, Knueppel mentioned that he wanted to get stronger, quicker, and more dynamic with the ball in his hands. If his offseason workout regimen is focused on those three things, he will definitely improve on his rim finishing numbers.

The second-year forward is already one of the craftiest players in the league. His ability to play off of two feet in the paint is well beyond his years, and any added physical tools on top of that will supplement his innate skill and basketball IQ.

It's fair to wonder how if Knueppel will be able to replicate his success without LaMelo Ball manning the back court alongside him. Ball assisted on a whopping 110 of Knueppel's made shots last year, 45 more than the closest Hornet Miles Bridges who will also be suiting up elsewhere in 2026-27.

I don't think the losses of Ball and Bridges will matter too much for Knueppel. His shooting ability and feel for space will be enough to generate a high three-point volume no matter who is pulling the strings for the Hornets' offense. At times in 2025-26 I thought Knueppel wasn't aggressive enough at hunting his own shots - he'll have to be more selfish and take some lower-quality looks with more of the defensive focus on him going forward in order to sustain the baseline level of production he set in his rookie campaign.

Basketball Reference's Simple Projection System spit out this per 36 stat line for Knueppel: 21.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, on 48/43/86 splits. When compared to his rookie per 36 line of 21.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assist on 47/42/86 splits, it doesn't look that impressive. However, I think this is a totally fair projection for Knueppel.

If his on-paper statistics look similar but there are meaningful improvements in his overall game, that's a win for Charlotte.

Knueppel is going to have more on his plate in year two. Him being able to produce the same numbers on relatively similar efficiency with a more difficult workload bodes well for Knueppel's future, and it will further elevate his status as a go-to scoring option for the Hornets.

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