Brian Windhorst Makes Unfathomable Kon Knueppel Prediction 'Down the Road'

Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel isn't known as a top-tier scorer in the NBA. As a rookie, 19.4 points is a good mark, but that ranks 36th in the NBA. He is, however, a top-tier shooter.

It's February 27, and Knueppel owns the rookie record for threes made in a season. He is flirting with a 50-40-90 season, and his shooting advanced metrics are almost unrivaled. If he gets hot from distance, he could really go off as we've seen this year.

Brian Windhorst believes that could pave the way for a historic outing. The ESPN on NBA crew was discussing who might be the next 70-point scorer in the NBA, and Windhorst pitched Knueppel as an option.

Windy believes Kon will score 70 in a game one day

"Not this year, but down the line" pic.twitter.com/c8LA4y4Rub
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) February 26, 2026

"This is not going to happen this year," Windhorst said. "But if you're talking about somebody who maybe could [score 70 points in a game] in the future, may I offer up a guy who can knock down some threes? How about Kon Knueppel?"

Windhorst said that he's heard stories of Knueppel dropping 70 points in AAU games and that Knueppel's shotmaking could one day lead to a historic outburst. "Not this year, but down the line," he said.

It would take a lot of factors going right for this to happen. Obviously, the rookie would need to have the best shooting day of his life, but the game would also need to be close.

Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel (7) in the first half against the Indiana Pacers | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

He could score 40+ in three quarters and give himself a shot at it, but if the game's out of reach, there'd be no reason for him to keep shooting or even playing. An overtime game would be the most logical option.

He would also need to still be playing with LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. Knueppel has unlocked those two in many ways, but they also provide spacing and playmaking for Knueppel. Ball has set him up for good shots countless times.

And if Knueppel is the face of the team, he's going to get the Steph Curry treatment. He won't be open much, and it will be hard for him to get enough shot attempts to even sniff 70 points in that scenario.

Still, it's not the most implausible thing. Knueppel can shoot threes like few others, so if he were to hit a bunch of threes in a close, overtime game, he certainly could get up there with some of the best scoring outings in NBA history.