Charlotte Hornets forward Kon Knueppel came in first place in a major NBA ranking.
Bleacher Report believes Charlotte Hornets swingman Kon Knueppel is the best 21-year-old NBA player.
Knueppel beat Stephon Castle, VJ Edgecombe and Collin Murray-Boyles.
"Knueppel has solid playmaking and pick-and-roll instincts for a wing. He's probably not a plus defender yet, but he's also not a disaster. And if he makes even marginal improvements in those areas while maintaining the shooting, he could be a borderline All-Star as early as this season," Bleacher Report wrote.
Even though Knueppel didn't win the 2025-26 Rookie of the Year award, he still had a special season for the Hornets. The swingman 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 3-pointers.
Knueppel claimed the first four Rookie of the Month awards last season, becoming the first Hornet ever to win the award four times.
Here is what else Knueppel accomplished last 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.
Knueppel and Brandon Miller are the new franchise players in Charlotte after the LaMelo Ball trade.
The Hornets traded Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves this summer.
Charlotte is widely expected to start Coby White, Miller, Knueppel, Naz Reid and Moussa Diabaté next season. It will be fascinating to see if the Hornets can make the playoffs in Year 1 of the post-Ball era.
2016 was the last time Charlotte made the playoffs.
