Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel is becoming a legend before our eyes.
The NBA announced huge news about Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel on Tuesday.
Knueppel has been named Kia NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for February. The Duke product claims 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 averaged 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in February. He shot 50.3% from the field, 48.5% from beyond the arc and 82.1% from the free-throw line.
The Hornets went 8-3 in February. They are 30-31 overall on the season, good for 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Knueppel could win the Rookie of the Year Award this season. He leads the NBA in 3s and is averaging 19.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 48.9% overall, 44.0% from 3 and 87.8% from the foul line.
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 and Brandon Miller, the Hornets have a bright future for the first time in a long, long time.
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