Kon Knueppel's defensive effort during Hornets losses shows his competitive fire

Amid a difficult stretch for the Charlotte Hornets, rookie Kon Knueppel has been a ray of hope. After a 2-1 start to the season, Charlotte has dropped five of six, and things are headed in a losing direction with both LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller injured.

Knueppel, however, keeps getting better, and he hasn't let the losing impact his effort. The No. 4 overall pick has scored 20 or more points in each of his last three games, looking like a first option type of scorer.

On Friday, Knueppel dropped a career-high 30 points against the Miami Heat. He also showed off his underrated defense during the game.

Hornets' Kon Knueppel makes highlight rejection against Heat's Kel'el Ware

Kon Knueppel BLOCK on Kel'el Ware! 😱

🗣️ Eric Collins: "Kel'el Ware is listed at 7 ft tall and he just got absolutely EMASCULATED by Kon Knueppel!" pic.twitter.com/4CNwbTzsVg
— r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) November 8, 2025

Late in the second quarter in Miami, with the Hornets trailing, Knueppel was doing everything he could to give his team a spark.

This included pulling off an epic blocked shot against Heat center Kel'el Ware, in which Knueppel darted into the paint from behind the play and challenged the 7-footer fearlessly.

It was a moment that revealed Knueppel's fierce competitive fire and desire to defend, qualities that more and more fans will become aware of who believe Knueppel is just a great shooter.

Knueppel is coming from Duke; he's not used to losing or playing a losing style of basketball. The Hornets' early struggles in 2025-26 -- though expected -- aren't sitting well with Knueppel, and this is a good thing. He's playing with an inner fire that hates losing, and you can see this on Knueppel's face during postgame interviews, too.

Knueppel is doing all the right things for Charlotte. He's already gained the respect of his teammates and the rest of the NBA. He's averaging 16.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game on 40.5 percent from three.

Kon Knueppel ranks:

- 1st among rookies in 3PM (30)
- 2nd among rookies in PPG (16.4)
- 3rd among rookies in RPG (6.0)
- 4th among rookies in 3P% (40.5)

He’s on pace to make 273 threes this season, which would absolutely smash the record for most 3PM by a rookie 🤯 pic.twitter.com/aM5uyNmP7d
— The Lead (@TheLeadSM) November 8, 2025

Further losses will be hard to avoid for an undermanned Hornets squad, but Knueppel's play and attitude is a sign that this franchise has the chance to turn things around 180 degrees in the next couple of years.

While the ongoing injuries troubles for Melo and Miller are ominous and have Hornets fans feeling depressed, the rapid emergence of Knueppel has been an antidote to those feelings. Melo and/or Miller were supposed to be the cornerstones of this franchise heading into the future, but what if it turns out to be Knueppel, instead?

It's far too early to declare that, but all of the signs are there. And while there's no real reason to imagine a world in which Charlotte trades Miller, advocates of trading LaMelo will point to the fact that the Hornets would still have a young duo of Miller and Knueppel to build around.

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