While his former Duke teammate Cooper Flagg has received more media attention, No. 4 overall pick Kon Knueppel continues to thrive for the Hornets, writes Scott Fowler of The Charlotte Observer. Knueppel, a 6’6″ wing, is one of the top shooters in the NBA as a 20-year-old rookie, averaging 18.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists on .484/.431/.902 shooting in 54 games (32.1 minutes per contest).
Knueppel, who has won all three of the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month awards thus far in 2025/26, points to Charlotte’s defensive turnaround as the main factor in the team winning 10 of its past 11 games, Fowler notes.
“I really think just defensively, our attention to detail and our competitiveness on that end,” Knueppel said. “We’re a pretty good offensive team. … But I think the biggest reason is just our change of mindset a little bit on the defensive end.”
Here’s more from Charlotte:
- As Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer writes, LaMelo Ball has played a major role in the Hornets’ surge up the standings by being healthy (he has appeared in 29 consecutive games) and showing growth in terms of leadership and maturity. Head coach Charles Lee challenged Ball on Wednesday after the star point guard had some defensive lapses in the first half against Atlanta, and the 24-year-old responded with some key stops down the stretch. “Yeah, and by challenge, it’s not like you go at him, but definitely just try to make him aware,” Lee said. “Atlanta’s game plan, it seemed like they were trying to put him in almost every action. And so to make him aware of it, to let him see the plays in our film session of how they’re trying to attack him … And then for him to step up, I thought was big time. It just shows he continues to grow to be the consistent competitor trying to impact winning any way he possibly can, even at the end of the game. … So, just a super mature adjustment by him on both ends of the floor.”
- Veteran guard/forward Pat Connaughton has witnessed Ball’s development over the course of the season, Boone adds. “I just see the maturity level growing,” Connaughton said. “I see his belief in not just his own abilities, but the abilities of the team. And then not just the abilities of the team, but what he’s capable of. He also knows he’s got four guys that are going to be playing with him and when he moves the basketball, it’s going to come back.”
- The Hornets improved to 26-29 on Wednesday despite missing starters Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate, who were suspended four games apiece for their roles in a Monday fight. Lee says the Hornets, who are currently the No. 9 seed in the East, will reflect on the their recent success over the All-Star break with an eye on the future. “With 27 games to go, we’ve built this mindset, we’ve built some resolve, we’ve built an identity — I really, truly believe,” Lee said, per Boone. “And so, as they get a day or two to let their bodies recover, think about what we want to accomplish when we come back here. And I think I know the answer, but it’s the perfect time to reflect on everything we’ve done, and then figure how we can stay hungry and take advantage of a couple of days to rest and recover.”
It’s been a long time since it was a fun time to be a Hornets fan. The defensive improvement has been noticeable. The crowd at that Detroit game was the most energetic I’ve seen in Charlotte in quite a few years.
Def a fun team to watch grow and improve. Tops on my out of market watchlist.
link to nba.com
HISTORY
All-Time NBA Lottery Picks: Charlotte Hornets
28 lottery picks and counting lols ……. I guess you keep trying till you get right ….
They might have finally gotten in right with Miller then Knueppel those seem to be pretty good draft picks . I think this will be the first time in awhile charlotte will not be picking in the lottery . Playoff bound this season if they keep up the intensity on defense .
Next yrs draft is a deep lottery. They aren’t passing that up. Truth is They shouldn’t. Miller and Kon are solid. Nice picks.
There is a very low floor as long as they have lamelo. Does he really raise the ceiling of the team at all? Such dumb decision making and overly flashy gameplay
I think a large part of the article was that his coach and teammates believe that he indeed does raise the ceiling of the team, and that he’s been a large part of them going 9-1. Did you see their ceiling when he was off the floor?
Lamelo has the capability to be better than a lot of lead guards, he just never had the health and mentality. He’s always going to be a low efficiency shooter it seems, but he can drive an offense and at his size doesn’t necessarily have to be a target every possession if he’s engaged on the other end, unlike guys like Garland, Trae Young, even Brunson
He put together 10 straight solid games. Not very good decision making in that span, just the ball going in more often on his bad shots.
His size didn’t matter at all to Cade Cunningham. The differences in their toughness were very evident in that game. One player works hard to get his team the best shot, and One player dribbles 10 times 30 feet from the basket.
I think part of the story is just that he’s been available for 30 straight games, and might play more games this season than his last two seasons combined. He’s still streaky, and 24 yo, and he’s definitely getting bullied by Cade if that’s the assignment, but at least he’s suited up most of the year, and the Hornets record shows it for now at least
Love your handle – I grew up as a Knicks fan and Mase was one of my favorite players 👍
Lamello will always be a trash can.