Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel has been so good this season that he could win the Rookie of the Year Award.
Kon Knueppel made Charlotte Hornets history on Thursday against the Phoenix Suns.
The Duke product made four 3-pointers to set the Hornets' franchise record for 3s in a season, breaking Kemba Walker's record.
"I think maybe I've surpassed my expectations for myself a little bit," Knueppel said. "I felt like I had enough to help this team -- and we got a lot of talented players. You definitely feel it. It makes the ones that go in real, real sweet, but it is also like pretty reassuring as a shooter when the ones you miss the crowd [lets out] an audible like 'ooooh.' That's reassuring as a shooter that fans believe in that every shot you take is going in."
Knueppel leads the NBA in 3s. He's argubaly the best shooter in the league as a rookie. That says a lot about how talented this kid is.
The 20-year-old Knueppel is averaging 18.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game on the season while shooting 48.2% from the field, 43.1% from beyond the arc and 86.3% from the free-throw line. He could win the Rookie of the Year Award.
Charlotte is in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings. All signs point toward the team being in the NBA play-in tournament. The Hornets are looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
With Knueppel, LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges leading the way, Charlotte has been on a tear since the All-Star break. It's been great to see the Hornets become relevant again under head coach Charles Lee.
"Charles has been great," Knueppel told Noa Dalzell of CelticsBlog. "He really preaches daily improvement. So even when you know the losses were stacking up early in the season, it was really just about continuing to get better each day. And I think going into each day with that mindset, living in the present, is really good, especially for our young team."
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