Charlotte Hornets guard Sion James loves playing with Kon Knueppel.
Charlotte Hornets guard Sion James didn't hold back recently while talking about Kon Knueppel.
James is super grateful to be teammates with Knueppel, who could win the Rookie of the Year Award.
"It's special," James said about playing with Knueppel. "There's few ways to put it. He's just been so consistent throughout the year. He's been showing up every day as the same guy. He's had a great attitude. He doesn't big-time anything.
"The success you're seeing isn't a surprise, but it's super exciting to see it. I say all the time, he's a super easy guy to cheer for because of all those things, just because he's a good dude."
Knueppel leads the NBA in 3s as a rookie. That's how special he is. The Duke product 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.
James, who is averaging 5.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game this season, has enjoyed turning the Hornets franchise into a winner again.
"You always want to be a part of winning at any level," James said. "I'm thankful that I've been a part of a fair amount of winning throughout my career, especially last year at Duke and now being here. There's no better feeling in sports than winning. That's why you play. I wasn't here the past few years, but from all that I've heard, the tide is turning around here. The air feels different, the culture feels different, and it's always great to be a part of something like that."
The Hornets clinched a winning season after beating the Indiana Pacers on April 3. It's the first time since the 2021-22 campaign that Charlotte will be above .500.
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.
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