Hornets' Sion James discussing secret to Kon Knueppel's game is gold for young players

It hasn't taken Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel longs to establish himself in the NBA as the real deal. Through his first seven games, Knueppel is shooting 43.1 percent from three. His 22 triples are the most through a player's first seven career games in NBA history.

Kon Knueppel has knocked down 22 triples through his first seven career games!

It's the most through a player's first 7 career games in NBA history 🤯 https://t.co/3LQ1kPdYFi pic.twitter.com/W6qkw6pB63
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) November 3, 2025

It's safe to say that Charlotte's president of basketball operations, Jeff Peterson, feels good about selecting Knueppel out of Duke with the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft.

It also appears that Peterson was wise to select Knueppel's teammate at Duke, Sion James, with the No. 33 overall pick in the second round. James has immediately emerged as a rotational contributor for the Hornets.

Sion has been phenomenal defensively and is shooting a hilarious 72.2 percent from three (13-for-18) so far.

Hornets rookie Sion James is 13-of-17 on catch-and-shoot threes through 7 games pic.twitter.com/t6ARA9DKJQ
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) November 4, 2025

Beyond James and Knueppel being individual assets to the Hornets, their synergy as a duo is palpable. Hornets head coach Charles Lee has already featured both players in the starting lineup together on two occasions, and the results have looked favorable.

There's obvious chemistry between the two from their shared time at Duke, and their games just complement each other well. James provides the type of physicality and athleticism on defense that few can, whereas Knueppel brings a unique array of offensive abilities to the table.

Furthermore, both players are already much better on the "other side" of the court (offense for James, defense for Knueppel) than most people assumed they would be in the NBA, and that's mostly because both of these guys have a very high basketball IQ.

Sion James reveals key to Kon Knueppel's success, and it's not what you'd expect

James recently talked to reporters about Knueppel. After being asked about Kon's off-ball movement, James took the opportunity to go into a bit of detail about why Knueppel is such an effective player overall.

🎙️ Sion James on Kon Knueppel: "It was great to play with him last year; it's even better playing with him now."

"He just knows how to play. It's really as simple as that. Just understanding the game at a very high level, knows what he does well and works to that as well as… pic.twitter.com/eSpT5G0ElN
— r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) November 3, 2025

"He just knows how to play," James said of Knueppel. "It's really as simple as that. Just understanding the game at a very high level, knows what he does well and works to that as well as anybody."

The part about James's Knueppel comments that is most important for young players to hear is that Knueppel isn't doing anything crazy on the court, but rather has mastered the fundamentals and details of the game.

"He's not doing anything crazy a lot of the time," James said. "Every once in a while, he'll do something crazy, and I'm like, 'Yo, I forgot you could do that. That's really special.' But a lot of the stuff he does is just taking one big step to the left and making himself open ... that's just a little nuance of a guy who knows how to play basketball at a high level."

Knueppel is a perfect example of a player proving that success in the NBA doesn't always come down to athleticism. And yes, Knueppel has been blessed with a solid frame at 6-foot-5 or 6-foot-6, but his effectiveness comes down to taking the things he can control and improving at those things constantly.

With Knueppel already looking this good at the highest level, it's scary to imagine how many threes the 20-year-old has the chance to hit over the course of his career. And he's way more than just a shooter, too.

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