Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee issued an NSFW statement about rookie Kon Knueppel.
The Charlotte Hornets selected Kon Knueppel with the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and the Duke product has exceeded expectations.
Knueppel has already established himself as one of the top shooters in the NBA and Hornets head coach Charles Lee wants everyone to know that his rookie is a "killer."
“He has this bravado, this façade, where he doesn’t give you much. He stays even keeled,” Lee told The Athletic. “But he’s a f—ing killer.”
Knueppel is averaging 18.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game this season. He's shooting 48.6% from the field, 42.8% from beyond the arc and 89.7% from the free-throw line.
Knueppel has been stellar on the offensive end for the Hornets, but Lee has been impressed with the Milwaukee native's defensive play as well.
“Defensively, you really see his basketball intelligence," Lee said. “He understands player tendencies really well. He’s really able to understand how to close out: What are the angles I even need to take to closeout on somebody? If I’m shifting on somebody, at what level or depth do I need to be at? If a guy is a lesser shooter. He’s a little bit flatter in his shifts; if the guy’s a better shooter, he’s higher in his shift to not allow a direct pass to that guy.
“He also does a really good job of understanding how to get to contest and do it without fouling. Most guys like to relax. Even if his guy doesn’t crash (the boards), he’s coming in to get a hit on somebody else’s guy, to make sure they’re almost sandwiching that person so they can’t get up.”
The Hornets are in 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings. They have won nine games in a row and Knueppel is a big reason why Charlotte is the hottest team in the NBA.
“You should be having fun with your teammates. You should have fun competing,” Knueppel said. “That’s really the most important. It is hard. It is a job. It’s a lot of travel. It’s a lot of time away from home, and there’s a lot of money involved, so it’s really easy to lose that. I just think for me personally, it’s important to keep that [fun] because it’ll just help me perform better.”
The Hornets haven't made the playoffs since 2016. With Knueppel in the hold next to LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges, Charlotte could snap its playoff drought this year.
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