The Charlotte Hornets have been the talk of the NBA recently, winning nine of their last 10 games despite spending the majority of the season as the 12th seed in the Eastern Conference.
Following an impressive nine-game winning streak that was snapped Monday by the Detroit Pistons, Charlotte has climbed up to 10th in the standings.
Luckily for the Hornets, the four teams closest to them in the playoff race also lost Monday (Miami, Atlanta, Chicago and Milwaukee).
At the forefront of all the hype has been rookie sensation Kon Knueppel.
Knueppel has taken the league by storm and is averaging near 50/40/90 shooting splits already, only 53 games into his career.
The only criteria Knueppel doesn’t quite meet is field goal percentage and free throw percentage. Knueppel is 1.5% away at 48.5% and 0.1% away at the stripe, shooting 89.9%.
What’s even more impressive, is his scoring numbers, given his efficiency. Knueppel is third on the team, averaging 18.9 points per game. This is 0.3 points behind LaMelo Ball and 1.5 points behind Brandon Miller, who’s played in 16 fewer games.
Monday also marked a milestone for Knueppel, as he became the fourth fastest rookie to reach 1,000 career points since 2020, trailing only Victor Wembanyama and fellow Duke alumni Zion Williamson and Paolo Banchero.
Speaking about Knueppel’s success, current Hornets teammate and former Duke teammate Sion James said: “When the moment’s the biggest he wants to be the guy that steps up. He’s always like, ‘Give me the ball. Find me. I’ll get open.’ He’s not afraid.”
Knueppel scored 20 points on 5-for-11 shooting from three-point range to go along with five rebounds and three assists in Monday’s loss. Knueppel was the only Hornets’ starter to finish without any turnovers.
Charlotte will return to action again Wednesday with a chance to move up to the No. 9 seed, facing the Atlanta Hawks.
