Southeast Notes: Hornets, Wizards, Heat, Herro
Rookies Kon Knueppel, Sion James, Ryan Kalkbrenner and Liam McNeeley have re-energized the Hornets’ franchise, Steve Aschburner of NBA.com writes. Knueppel is challenging top pick and college teammate Cooper Flagg for Rookie of the Year honors.
“I knew the four guys we were bringing in … they were just so secure in themselves,” president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson said. “They’re about their team and that we win. And they all complement each other.”
All of the rookies, save McNeeley, have made a significant impact.
“The way they come in the building every day with their energy, with their curiosity to learn,” coach Charles Lee said. “Even from the standpoint of Liam [who has split time in the NBA G League], he’s brought a new term for us to break our huddles.”
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- The Wizards made history on Saturday afternoon. Their starting lineup was the youngest since the league began tracking starters in 1970/71, per Elias, the team tweets. That includes the first career start for Will Riley. The average age of the starting five was 20.64 years old. The Wizards had seven players ruled out, including Khris Middleton, who was initially listed as questionable (Twitter link). Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson and Bub Carrington were the other starters.
- Injuries have impacted the Heat after a strong start, the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang notes. The Heat are just one game over .500 after going 9-15 in their past 24 games, and they have yet to win consecutive games in January. Injury issues have resulted in Miami using four different starting lineups in the past six games. “Just got to be more consistent,” big man Bam Adebayo said. “We can’t front-run. Every game has to be, we hold the line on defense from the start of the game. And then from the start of the game to the start of the third, and we figure it out from there. We’re having too many games where we’ll play great defense one night. Another night, we’ll kind of take off. So that’s got to be the difference. We’ve just got to be more consistent on that end, even if we’re missing or making shots.”
- The Heat’s trade deadline approaching could hinge on Tyler Herro‘s health issues, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel opines. Trading Norman Powell, without any confidence that Herro can return to form, would seem like capitulation and that’s not Miami’s style. There isn’t another scorer on the roster capable of stepping into that void to at least keep the Heat competitive if they trade Powell and Herro remains out or limited.
Grant Williams Expected To Make Season Debut Saturday
Grant Williams is expected to make his season debut tomorrow at Utah, according to the Hornets (Twitter link), who have officially listed the 27-year-old as probable to suit up against the Jazz.
Williams is in his seventh NBA season after being selected No. 22 overall in the 2019 draft. The 6’7″ forward has been sidelined since November 23, 2024, when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. He underwent surgery to repair the ACL and other knee ligaments a few weeks later.
Hornets head coach Charles Lee said earlier this week that Williams was in the final stages of his rehab and had been playing five-on-five with the team.
Williams, who played high school basketball in Charlotte, was a rotation regular for the Hornets last season prior to the serious knee injury, averaging 10.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals on .439/.365/.838 shooting in 16 games, including seven starts (29.9 minutes per contest). He’s under contract for a combined $27.9MM over the next two seasons and could be a free agent in the summer of 2027.
Ryan Kalkbrenner is also on track to return Saturday after missing the past 10 games due to a left elbow sprain. He’s considered probable to play in the road game in Utah.
The 7’1″ center was off to a strong start to his rookie campaign prior to the injury, averaging 8.7 PPG, 6.4 RPG and 1.8 BPG while shooting 78.7% from the field. The 34th overall pick in last year’s draft, Kalkbrenner started 25 of his 26 games, averaging 25.6 MPG.
Hornets Notes: Knueppel, LaMelo, Miller, Kalkbrenner, Williams
Hornets wing Kon Knueppel has been one of the top rookies in 2025/26, but he’s far from content. The 20-year-old tells Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer he’s always looking for ways to level up his game on both ends of the court.
“I think an area to grow is definitely being more disruptive defensively,” Knueppel said. “I tend to be where I’m supposed to be, tend to keep my guy in front of me. But can I maybe get a few more deflections? And I think that comes with a little bit more anticipation, being more aware of that. What play is going to happen before it happens and then those will come.
Knueppel, the fourth overall pick of last year’s draft, played 1,189 minutes over 39 games in his lone season at Duke. He’s currently at 1,186 minutes through 36 NBA games, and says his body is holding up well so far.
“I feel good,” Knueppel told Boone. “There’s a lot of nicks and bruises and things, but I luckily haven’t had anything major. Had the little chip fracture in the pinky early in the season, stuff like that. But yeah, the body’s holding up. Been really proactive with the recovery stuff and the training staff are doing a great job.”
Here’s more from Charlotte:
- The Hornets had a good chance to win their third straight game on Wednesday vs. Toronto, leading by as many as 13 points, but wound up losing by one after an Immanuel Quickley game-winning three. LaMelo Ball was limited to just five minutes in the fourth quarter, and head coach Charles Lee explained why that was the case after the game, according to Boone. “I liked how that group (with Collin Sexton and Sion James in the backcourt) was playing,” Lee said. “Just trying to be a little bit mindful of where we are in a back-to-back and our allocation of minutes to put us all in the best position to be healthy. So, I thought that group did enough to kind of keep us in it, keep it close. And it’s helped us kind of extend some leads at times too, with their defensive aggressiveness and Collin’s ability to knock down the three. I thought he scored it at a pretty good clip tonight, too, and was able to get to the paint, which was something that we were lacking at times. So, just a tough decision that I have to make.”
- As Boone writes in the same story, Lee also provided injury updates on Brandon Miller (left knee contusion), Ryan Kalkbrenner (left elbow sprain) and Grant Williams following Wednesday’s game. Lee suggested the team was just being cautious with Miller’s knee on the front end of a back-to-back — the third-year wing is probable to suit up on Thursday vs. Indiana. Kalkbrenner, meanwhile, will miss his ninth straight game against the Pacers. “Yeah, Ryan is going to be OK,” Lee said. “He’s been making really good progress. … We’ll continue to evaluate him after every team activity he does and in on-court sessions, but I do think he’s trending in a good direction.”
- As for Williams, the veteran forward is 13-plus months removed from a torn ACL in his right knee and appears to be in the final stages of his rehab. “Grant’s obviously been out for an extended period of time with his injury now, has been able to be more involved in team activities and five-on-five play, and so far he’s responded really well,” Lee said, per Boone. “But when you’ve missed that much time from basketball, we want to make sure that we’re reintegrating him into game play at the appropriate time.”
Eastern Notes: Kennard, Pacers, Martin, Hall
Luke Kennard had one of his best outings of the 2025/26 campaign in Wednesday’s victory over Minnesota, recording 15 points, six rebounds and five assists in 27 minutes off the bench. However, the veteran shooting guard admits his performance so far with the Hawks hasn’t been up to his typical standard, according to Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter links).
“I’ve had some good moments, good games, but nowhere near what I can be and what I expect of myself,” Kennard said. “They’ve been on me, my teammates and coaches, just to be aggressive and shoot the ball when I can. … I’m here for a reason, and for myself, I’m very hard on myself. I think I can do more, and I’m excited to just build off of it. And today was a great day for everybody, a great team win, and hopefully we can just build off of that.”
Kennard, who signed a one-year, $11MM deal with Atlanta last summer, will be an unrestricted free agent again in 2026.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- After Wednesday’s loss to Orlando, head coach Rick Carlisle said the Pacers have had some in-game disagreements amid their disastrous 6-28 start to the season, per Tony East of Circle City Spin (Twitter link). “In the second half, we played like a together team that was supporting each other and not like strangers. That’s how this has got to be. We’re having too much petty nonsense going on during games that needs to go away,” said Carlisle, who didn’t elaborate on what he meant by “petty nonsense.” When asked about his coach’s comment, forward Aaron Nesmith didn’t disagree, but said it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. “There may have been some petty nonsense, but I think it comes from a good place,” Nesmith said (Twitter link via East). “I think our competitive spirit in this game was pretty high. Sometimes that bleeds over into disagreeing on calls or guys help… guys are tired of losing.”
- The Pacers‘ G League affiliate, the Noblesville Boom, has acquired the returning player rights to Cody Martin in a trade with the Capital City Go-Go, tweets East. The veteran wing had a brief stint with the Pacers earlier this season on a 10-day hardship contract.
- South Carolina native PJ Hall, who recently signed a two-way contract with the Hornets covering two seasons, tells Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer it’s “surreal” to join a team he grew up cheering on. “I grew up a Panthers fan, I grew up a Bobcats fan, grew up watching Al Jefferson and then Kemba (Walker) and he’s with the Hornets now,” Hall said. “So, I mean, it’s been awesome and a great experience to be able to come back, have that full circle moment.” The 23-year-old big man has gotten an opportunity to play amid injuries to Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kalkbrenner, and he may even get his first career start Friday at Milwaukee — Moussa Diabate is questionable to suit up due to a right wrist sprain, the Hornets announced (via Twitter).
Southeast Notes: Bridges, Diabate, Wizards, Wiggins
Injuries continue to be a problem for the Hornets, whose standout rookies Kon Knueppel (right ankle sprain) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (left elbow sprain) were among the players inactive for Monday’s loss to Milwaukee.
Veteran forward Miles Bridges joined Charlotte’s list of injured players in the first quarter of that game when he landed on Gary Trent Jr.‘s foot and turned his right ankle. Bridges grabbed at the ankle in obvious discomfort and checked out of the game at the next whistle — he didn’t return.
As Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer writes, head coach Charles Lee didn’t have a formal update on Bridges after Monday’s game, so it’s not yet clear whether the 27-year-old will miss additional time as a result of his ankle injury.
“We’ll evaluate him (Tuesday) at practice,” Lee said. “Right ankle.”
We have more from across the Southeast:
- With Kalkbrenner and Mason Plumlee (right groin strain) both on the shelf for the Hornets, Moussa Diabate has started the team’s past three games at center and has handled the role admirably, averaging 12.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per contest with a 78.9% field goal percentage. Spencer Davies of RG.org spoke to Diabate about his path to his current role and his impact on the offensive glass, among other topics. The big man is under contract through 2026/27 on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract that has turned into a bargain for Charlotte.
- Wizards forward Kyshawn George missed a second consecutive game on Monday vs. Phoenix due to a left hip flexor strain, while sharpshooter Corey Kispert sat out for a third game in a row as a result of a left hamstring strain, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Kispert, who has reportedly been the subject of some trade interest, has played just once since November 25 due to thumb and hamstring ailments.
- Andrew Wiggins‘ scoring average this season (16.4 points per game) remains below his career rate, but he has been at his best in the team’s past three games, putting up 21.7 PPG on .628/.571/.750 shooting. The Heat want to keep seeing the former No. 1 overall pick play with that sort of assertiveness offensively, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “They just tell me an aggressive me is the best version of myself,” Wiggins said on Monday. “So, I just got to stay with it and continuously do it.” Wiggins’ name has popped up in some trade rumors since the offseason, but there has been no indication as of late that Miami is looking to move him. He’s earning $28.2MM this season, with a $30.2MM player option for 2026/27.
Hornets Sign PJ Hall To Two-Way Deal
11:59 pm: Hall’s two-way contract is official, according to the transaction log at NBA.com.
10:06 am: The Hornets are adding more depth to their frontcourt, having agreed to a two-way deal with center PJ Hall, agent Matt Bollero tells Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN (Twitter link).
A former All-ACC standout at Clemson, Hall spent his rookie season with Denver on a two-way deal in 2024/25, then signed a new two-way contract with the Grizzlies this past summer. He didn’t play a significant role for either team, logging 66 minutes in 19 appearances for the Nuggets last season and 27 minutes in seven games for Memphis this fall before being waived in November to make room for Jahmai Mashack.
However, Hall has been a solid contributor in the G League, having joined Charlotte’s affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, after being cut by the Grizzlies. In 14 total outings for the Swarm and the Memphis Hustle, the 6’8″ big man has averaged 14.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 27.5 minutes per game.
Hall will give Hornets head coach Charles Lee another option in the middle after centers Ryan Kalkbrenner (left elbow sprain) and Mason Plumlee (right groin strain) were both inactive for Tuesday’s win over Washington.
Charlotte’s lone healthy center, Moussa Diabate, had a huge night against the Wizards, with 12 points, 18 rebounds, and a +38 mark in 36 minutes. But the team was outscored by 21 points in his 12 minutes on the bench and could use more reinforcements at the five if either Kalkbrenner or Plumlee is expected to miss additional time.
The Hornets waived two-way forward Drew Peterson to make room on the roster for Hall.
Hornets Notes: Play-In Prospects, Sexton, Kalkbrenner, Williams, Knueppel
The Hornets are still on the outside of the Eastern Conference play-in picture, but they’ve won six of their last 12 games and their confidence is rising after Tuesday’s victory over Washington, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer writes in a subscriber-only story. At 10-20, the Hornets are two games behind Milwaukee and four-and-a-half behind Chicago in the race for the final play-in spot, but they’ve survived some early injuries and believe they’re ready to challenge for a postseason berth.
Head coach Charles Lee cites improvements on defense as the reason for the better play of late.
“I think some of it’s our defensive intensity,” he said. “I feel like our defensive continues to get better. The games that we win, our defensive rating is usually in a really good spot. And then offensive, I feel like ever since the game at Brooklyn, we’ve done such a better job of trusting the pass, playing the pass. I come up here a lot of games now and I’m talking about how many assists we had on how we made field goals. And it’s a testament to our overall pace. But also guys getting out of screens, our execution in the half court and our execution in the early offense is really good.”
There’s more from Charlotte:
- Collin Sexton returned Tuesday after missing nearly three weeks with a left quadriceps strain, Boone adds. He came off the bench to score 12 points in 16 minutes. “We always talk a ton around here about competing and what that looks like,” Lee said. “And you can compete in a lot of different ways, but Colin just never stops. I think defensively and offensively, he’s always thinking about how can I win every possession and how can I be impactful in every possession. I love the boost that he gave us from a spirit and a competitiveness standpoint.”
- Ryan Kalkbrenner missed a second straight game with a sprained left elbow, and his status is uncertain for Friday’s contest at Orlando. Lee tells Boone that the medical staff is “still just trying to figure out what the plan is going to be” for the rookie center.
- Grant Williams handed out Christmas gifts to Hornets employees this week, but he wasn’t able to provide any clarity on when he might be able to play again, Boone states in a separate story. The veteran power forward is still recovering from a right ACL tear he suffered early last season. “It’s all about making sure that I come back to build this team up to compete and win,” Williams said. “So, capability. I feel great right now, but at the same time understanding that we have a plan. We have a plan that we’re approaching, and who knows when that date comes around? But whenever it is, I feel like I’ll be at my best self and be able to give 110% to this roster, to this team, and be able to show off for this organization. Because we’re trying to turn this thing around the right way and I wouldn’t want to do it anywhere else.”
- Kon Knueppel set an NBA record on Monday by becoming the fastest player to reach 100 made three-pointers, Boone adds in another piece. It only took Knueppel 29 games to reach the milestone, 12 fewer than Lauri Markkanen, the previous record holder.
Southeast Notes: Risacher, Whitmore, Herro, Knueppel, Salaun
After a promising first NBA season in which he placed second in Rookie of the Year voting, Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher has seen his numbers drop off a little this fall. Last year’s No. 1 overall pick is averaging 11.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game with a .453/.296/.677 shooting line through 22 outings after putting up 12.6 PPG and 3.6 RPG on .458/.355/.711 shooting as a rookie.
As Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes (subscription required), Risacher, who has battled through a couple injuries during the first couple months of the season, believes he’s developing positive habits despite the statistical dip, and his coaches and teammates are optimistic that better results are coming.
“He’s working really hard and for guys like him, that’s gonna turn around sooner or later,” Hawks guard/forward Vit Krejci said. “I think about the law of percentages, you know, I think we talked about it last year where the first part I was shooting 19% and then it turned around. And he’s good. I’m sure, if you’re consistent with your work, you’re obviously going to go through ups and downs, but I think he’s been handling very well. Just keep working and keep your confidence up.”
We have more from across the Southeast:
- After suggesting over the weekend that Cam Whitmore didn’t play on Saturday because he failed to live up to “certain standards” the Wizards expect of him, head coach Brian Keefe has since walked back that message, according to Quinn Allen of RG.org. A team spokesperson told Allen that Whitmore’s DNP-CD on Saturday wasn’t disciplinary, while Keefe said during a Wednesday radio appearance that Whitmore “didn’t do anything wrong” and that the team simply wanted to “give some other guys a chance” in the rotation.
- The Heat have lost four straight games and five of their last six, but reintegrating Tyler Herro following his left ankle injury hasn’t been the primary issue during that stretch, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. As Chiang notes, Herro’s role has been under a microscope since Miami had so much success early in the season with a new-look, uptempo offense that has slowed down a little since Herro’s return. However, the team has a +3.6 net rating during his time on the court so far, Chiang writes, including a +13.0 mark when he and Norman Powell play together.
- Hornets wing Kon Knueppel tops a list from Zach Harper of The Athletic of this season’s top 10 rookies so far, maintaining an edge over his former Duke teammate Cooper Flagg. As Harper writes, besides leading all rookies in scoring, Knueppel has been the top shooter in the class, has produced consistently, and has been a solid rebounder and play-maker too. Hornets big man Ryan Kalkbrenner also makes Harper’s list, coming in at No. 8.
- Knueppel has outperformed the Hornets‘ 2024 lottery pick, Tidjane Salaun, so far this season, but Salaun may be turning a corner after spending nearly the entire month of November in the G League with the Greensboro Swarm, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. The second-year forward scored a career-high 21 points in 22 minutes last Friday in Toronto. “I have loved the mindset that Tidjane has come back with from his Greensboro stint,” head coach Charles Lee said. “I have seen him embrace his role even more than he did earlier in the year, which I think is great. I think he’s gotten a little bit more confidence in what that role looks like. I think he’s gotten a little bit more comfortable after getting extended minutes.”
Injury Notes: Sheppard, Dort, Caruso, Oubre, Hornets
Pacers guard Ben Sheppard has been diagnosed with a left calf strain and will be out for at least Friday’s game against Chicago, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link).
As Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star writes (subscriber link), the Pacers have been absolutely ravaged by injuries this season, particularly in the backcourt. Sheppard, a third-year guard out of Belmont, had been one the few exceptions to that — he was one of only four players on the roster — and the only guard — to play every game in 2025/26.
Sheppard had been playing some of his best basketball of the season recently, Dopirak notes. The 24-year-old primarily plays as a wing but had to man the point at times amid several injuries to teammates. In more of an off-ball role, he had 14 points (on 5-of-5 shooting), five rebounds, two assists and two steals in 18 minutes during Wednesday’s loss to Denver.
“He’s playing hard, he’s playing fast, he’s playing unselfish,” head coach Rick Carlisle said after Wednesday’s game. “He’s applying pressure full court. These are elements that we need. Him shooting the ball, 5-of-5 tonight is no surprise. He can shoot the ball. The key thing is that through all the challenges, he’s just remained true to who he is and stepped into the shots that are his shots. That’s his job to do and that’s everybody’s job to do.”
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Thunder wing Luguentz Dort will miss his second straight game on Friday due to a strained adductor, tweets Clemente Almanza of Thunder Wire. Oklahoma City faces Dallas tomorrow evening. Dort, a member of the All-Defensive First Team in 2024/25, missed five games earlier this season with an upper right trap strain. Thunder guard Alex Caruso will be out Friday as well — he’s dealing with a quad contusion which will cause him to miss his third straight contest.
- Veteran wing Kelly Oubre Jr., who is out with a sprained LCL in his left knee, will miss at least one more week, the Sixers announced today (Twitter link via Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com). According to Philadelphia, Oubre is progressing well in his rebab. Oubre, who turns 30 next week, has missed the past eight games and will be out for at least three more.
- Collin Sexton was forced out of Wednesday’s game due to an injury, which has been diagnosed as a left quadriceps strain, per the Hornets (Twitter link). The 26-year-old guard has been ruled out of Friday’s game at Toronto. Three other Hornets — Tre Mann (right knee soreness), Brandon Miller (left shoulder) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (left ankle contusion) are questionable to play against the Raptors.
Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel Named Rookies Of The Month
Former Duke teammates Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel have been named the NBA’s October/November Rookies of the Month for the Western and Eastern Conference, respectively, the league announced today (via Twitter).
According to the league, it’s the first time since the NBA began handing out Rookie of The Month honors by conference in 2001/02 that the Western and Eastern winners were from the same college program.
The No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, Flagg got off to a bit of a slow start for the struggling Mavericks, but had a big November that he wrapped up by scoring a career-high 35 points in a win over the Clippers on Saturday.
In total, the 18-year-old forward averaged 16.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.4 steals in 34.0 minutes per game across 20 outings in October and November. Flagg made just 25.3% of his three-point tries, but posted solid field goal (46.2%) and free throw (80.3%) percentages.
Flagg beat out Grizzlies forward Cedric Coward and Pelicans teammates Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen, who were also nominated in the West, per the NBA (Twitter link).
In the East, Knueppel won the award over fellow nominees VJ Edgecombe of the Sixers and Hornets teammate Ryan Kalkbrenner. The fourth overall pick has immediately emerged as a go-to offensive option in Charlotte after starring alongside Flagg with the Blue Devils in his first and only college season.
In his first 20 games, Knueppel averaged 18.4 points per game on .470/.413/.898 shooting while also contributing 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest.
Flagg is currently the slight betting favorite for this season’s Rookie of the Year award. Both he and Knueppel are considered significant favorites over the rest of the field.