Kon Knueppel Pinpoints Major Problem Behind Hornets' 4-Game Skid

The Charlotte Hornets turned the ball over 27 times in Monday's 124-91 loss to the Detroit Pistons, and Detroit scored 37 points off those turnovers.

Charlotte had 19 assists against those 27 turnovers and scored 9 points off Detroit's mistakes.

The Hornets are 3-5 entering Wednesday's game at the Brooklyn Nets and averaging 97.4 points, the fewest in the NBA. Kon Knueppel makes his season debut in that game after missing eight with a left hamstring strain.

Knueppel said the fix starts with being a steadying force and taking care of the ball.

"I think Coby and I are two of the main creators of offense on the team," Knueppel said in an interview with Hornets.com. "Being out obviously hurts that, but also, [we're] leaving a lot of points on the table by turning the ball over. So many empty possessions – we're probably averaging 20 turnovers per game."

"That's just being a [steadying] force and taking care of the basketball but also generating some different offense in different ways for us," Knueppel continued. "I think that side of the ball will look a little better."

The losing streak started Oct. 28 in Detroit. Charlotte led 51-44 at halftime, then lost the third quarter 32-19 and the game 97-89. The Hornets committed 25 turnovers that night against 17 assists, and the Pistons scored 21 points off them.

Brandon Miller had 31 points and 12 rebounds in that loss. Moussa Diabaté and Dennis Schröder each turned it over 5 times.

Two nights later, Charlotte scored 79 points in a 95-79 loss at Washington. Trae Young had 21 points and 9 assists for the Wizards, and rookie AJ Dybantsa scored 17 in his home debut.

Tyrese Maxey then scored 38 for the Philadelphia 76ers in a 109-104 win at Spectrum Center on Oct. 31.

Detroit came to Charlotte on Monday and won by 33. Cade Cunningham scored 33 points on 13-of-20 shooting with 5 steals in three quarters, Duncan Robinson made six 3-pointers, and the Pistons had 27 fast-break points. Schröder had 5 more turnovers. Coby White had 3 in his season debut.

The Hornets traded LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Miles Bridges to the Phoenix Suns in the offseason. White was brought in to start at point guard, and Schröder started there while White missed the first seven games with a left calf strain.

Charlotte ranks last in the league in field-goal percentage at 40.5%. Its 29.6% mark from 3-point range is 29th. Through seven games, NBA.com's power rankings had the Hornets 30th in offensive rating at 101.3 points per 100 possessions.

Knueppel led the NBA with 273 3-pointers as a rookie. His 18.5-point scoring average came on 47.5% shooting from the field and 42.5% from deep, and he played 81 of Charlotte's 82 games.

White returned Monday on a minutes restriction and scored 7 points in 16 minutes. Grant Williams is still out with a right hamstring injury.

Charlotte beat Brooklyn 110-103 at Barclays Center in the Oct. 21 opener. The Nets are 1-6, and Wednesday's tip-off is 7:30 p.m. ET.