Charlotte Hornets big man Moussa Diabate is taking forward Kon Knueppel's advice.
During an appearance on Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s podcast, Charlotte Hornets forward Kon Knueppel said the team has to get stronger this offseason by hitting the weight room.
Moussa Diabate, the Hornets' starting center, is clearly listening to Knueppel.
The Hornets were one win away from making the playoffs this season for the first time since 2016. Despite not making the 2026 playoffs, Charlotte has a bright future with Knueppel, Diabate, LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller leading the way.
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 Rookie 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.
Diabate won the 2025-26 Kia Hustle Award. The Kia NBA Hustle Award honors players who make effort plays that do not often appear in the traditional box score but impact winning on a nightly basis. The award is based on a statistical formula rather than a media vote, utilizing a mixture of hustle stats.
Diabate appeared in 73 games for the Hornets this season. He averaged 7.9 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 63.1% from the field and 65.9% from the free-throw line.
Charlotte should make the playoffs next season. After all, Knueppel and Diabate are going to get stronger this summer.
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