This isn't a surprise.
Charlotte Hornets forward Kon Knueppel made the 2025-26 NBA All-Rookie First Team.
Knueppel, Cooper Flagg, VJ Edgecombe, Dylan Harper and Cedric Coward are the NBA All-Rookie First Team this season.
Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg won the 2025-26 Rookie of the Year Award over Knueppel. Flagg pulled in 56 of 100 first-place votes to Knueppel's 44, finishing with 412 total points to the Hornets guard's 386. The 26-point gap was the second-smallest margin in a Rookie of the Year race since the current voting format began in 2002-03, trailing only the 15-point spread between Scottie Barnes and Evan Mobley in 2021-22.
Even though Knueppel didn't win the Rooke of the Year Award, he still had a special season for the Hornets. The Duke product averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game and shot 47.5% from the field, 42.5% from 3 and 86.3% from the free-throw line. He led the NBA in 3s.
Knueppel claimed the first four Rookie of the Month awards this season, becoming the first Hornet ever to win the award four times. Here is what else the rookie accomplished this season, via the Hornets:
- At age 20, became the only player in NBA history age 22 or younger to record 250 3PM in a season against New York (March 26).
- Passed Michael Jordan for the NBA rookie record for most games with 20+ points on 65% true shooting (27) against Miami (March 6) in his then-rookie-leading 14th 25-point game.
- Set an NBA rookie record for 3-pointers made in a season (207) with a career-high-tying and franchise-rookie-record-tying 8 3PM at Indiana (Feb. 26); Knueppel tied his own franchise rookie record.
- Set a new NBA record for most games with 5+ 3PM by a rookie with 14 at Atlanta (Feb. 7).
- Broke the rookie record for most games with 20+ points on 50/40/90 shooting splits (12) against Golden State (Dec. 31), previously set by Stephen Curry.
- Knueppel is one of three rookies in NBA history (min. 25 games played) to average 15 points and 5 rebounds per game and shoot 40% from 3-point range; the other two are Larry Bird and Paul Pierce.
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