A former NBA star says Charlotte Hornets wing Kon Knueppel has to win Rookie of the Year.
Former Atlanta Hawks star Jeff Teague believes Charlotte Hornets forward Kon Knueppel is the Rookie of the Year.
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg was the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and he's putting up great numbers, but Knueppel is the top 3-point shooter in the league and the Hornets are actually winning games.
Charlotte is 28-31, while Dallas is 21-36.
Knueppel leads the NBA in 3s. The Duke product is averaging 19.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game on the season while shooting 48.9% from the field, 43.6% from beyond the arc and 89.3% from the free-throw line.
Charlotte is in 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings. All signs point toward Charles Lee's group being in the NBA play-in tournament. Seeds 7-10 participate in the play-in tournament.
Muggsy Bogues, the Hornets icon who played for the franchise in the '90s, has enjoyed watching Charlotte's resurgence this season and is a big fan of Knueppel.
The last Hornets player to win Rookie of the Year was LaMelo Ball in 2021.
"He's one of those steady guys," Bogues said about Knueppel, via Athlon Sports. "It's hard to kind of put him in a box to see who exactly comes to mind. I don't want to say a Dan Majerle or somebody like that. But Mark Price, he's got that shot just like a Mark Price. Even though he's bigger than Mark, but he moves and can explode off the dribble as well. Kon's just a guy with his own type of challenge. I just love seeing his rookie season, how he's been.
"Kon can shoot the ball. He doesn't emulate any type of players moving on the floor. Kon is creating his own lane. He's creating his own way. He's a different type of play. He's about 6-foot-5, 6-foot-6, and can put the ball on the floor. He just shoots it. He's not just a guy that can catch and shoot 3s. He's a three-tier type of scorer, mid-range, downhill, as well as 3-pointers. I love the future."
With Knueppel in the fold next to Ball, the Hornets have a bright future for the first time in a long, long time.
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