Kemba Walker is one of the best players in Charlotte Hornets history. Now, he's coaching a future star in Kon Knueppel.
Charlotte Hornets legend Kemba Walker recently opened up about coaching rookie Kon Knueppel.
Walker, whose single-season 3-point record was broken by Knueppel, has really enjoyed being around the Duke product.
"He's special," Walker said about Knueppel. "More than basketball, he's just a great person... he came in and changed the culture around here, which is hard to do, especially as a rookie. He's been amazing."
Knueppel leads the NBA in 3s as a rookie. That's how special he is. The swingman is averaging 18.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game for the Hornets while shooting 48.1% from the field, 43.0% from beyond the arc and 86.2% from the free-throw line.
"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."
Walker holds 14 Hornets records. He's one of the best and most popular players in franchise history and it's been cool to see him on the bench this season as a coach working with Knueppel, Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball.
As of this writing, the Hornets are in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings. If Charlotte finishes seventh, eighth, ninth or 10th, the team will be in the NBA play-in tournament.
As the seventh or eighth seed, the Hornets would have to win one play-in game to make the playoffs. They would have two chances.
As the ninth or 10th seed, Charlotte would have to win two games to make the playoffs. If they lose the first game, the season is over.
To automatically qualify for the playoffs, the Hornets have to be the sixth seed or better. Charlotte hasn't made the playoffs since 2016.
Hornets Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Hornets. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.