Charles Lee reveals plan for Hornets in wake of Kon Knueppel injury

Here's how the head coach envisions tweaking things while the rookie is out.

Dec 5, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee reacts to a play against the Toronto Raptors during the second half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

One of the worst possible things happened to the Charlotte Hornets in their win over the Orlando Magic. It was a big win, but it came at a heavy cost: Kon Knueppel.

The star rookie suffered a sprained ankle, firmly cementing him as a Hornet and as LaMelo Ball's teammate. The X-rays were negative, but he's likely to miss a few games after being helped off the court.

Those are valuable minutes, and the Hornets will suffer without their sharpshooter. In the meantime, though, the Hornets do have some players who will get those minutes and could step up.

🎙️ Charles Lee: "...with Kon (Knueppel) being out, Josh Green and Tre Mann might see some extended minutes."

"We'll see what we do to get creative and piece together some things, but I've also been really impressed with Tidjane (Salaun)'s growth and development." pic.twitter.com/SjNZ6fQxU0

— r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) December 28, 2025

Charles Lee revealed that he expects both Josh Green and Tre Mann to get more minutes with Knueppel on the pine. Green is a former starter, and Mann has typically done well with more minutes for the Hornets.

Neither one of them is remotely as good as Knueppel, but alas. Lee also said, "We'll see what we do to get creative and piece together some things, but I've also been really impressed with Tidjane (Salaun)'s growth and development. There's been times where you're just trying to find minutes for him."

Lee also likened it to losing Ryan Kalkbrenner and Mason Plumlee. That left the center rotation in dire straits, but thanks to other players stepping up and filling the role they otherwise would not, the Hornets hardly missed a beat.

Dec 22, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel (7) dribbles the ball in the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

The second-year coach said that the defensive schemes don't change much, which will be helpful on that side of the court when it comes to replacing Knueppel. On offense, though, the Hornets will definitely miss the Duke product.

Sadly, the Hornets were playing really well before losing Knueppel for the time being. The good news is that there was no structural damage or any broken bones, but the Hornets know all too well how frustrating a sprained ankle can be.

This team does have the depth to at least fill Knueppel's spot with legitimate NBA players instead of just two-way players or G Leaguers, but losing him is still a massive blow that will impact how well this team can play.

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