Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel has been compared to a future Hall of Famer.
How special has Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel been this season?
Veteran NBA analyst Steve Aschburner compared the Duke product to future Hall of Famer Klay Thompson of the Dallas Mavericks.
"Knueppel's 3-point proficiency had some observers in recent months comparing him – or at least his ceiling for putting up huge single-season and career numbers – to Stephen Curry," Aschburner wrote. "But he might have more in common with Curry's old Golden State splash-mate, Klay Thompson, for the amount of time the ball spends in their hands before scoring. (Here is a look at Knueppel's 'zero-dribble scoring.') The Hornets' rookie was nursing lower back pain heading into Tuesday's home game vs Sacramento, but played 20 minutes in that game."
Thompson is one of the greatest shooters in NBA history. He has done most of his damage in his career on catch-and-shoot 3s and that's what Knueppel is doing for the Hornets this season.
Knueppel is averaging 19.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game this season while shooting 48.7% from the field, 43.6% from beyond the arc and 87.0% from the free-throw line. He leads the NBA in 3-pointers.
Knueppel was named Kia NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for February. The sharpshooter claimed the award for the fourth-straight month to begin his career, becoming the first player in Hornets history to win Rookie of the Month four times and the first NBA player to do so since Orlando Magic swingman Paolo Banchero in 2022-23.
Knueppel has been incredible on the offensive end for the Hornets, but Charlotte head coach Charles Lee has been impressed with Knueppel's defensive play as well.
"Defensively, you really see his basketball intelligence," Lee said, via The Athletic. "He understands player tendencies really well. He's really able to understand how to close out: What are the angles I even need to take to close out on somebody? If I'm shifting on somebody, at what level or depth do I need to be at? If a guy is a lesser shooter. He's a little bit flatter in his shifts; if the guy's a better shooter, he's higher in his shift to not allow a direct pass to that guy."
The Hornets are 38-34 on the season. They are in ninth place in the East.
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