Former Duke Basketball star Kon Knueppel suffered an injury ahead of the 2026-27 NBA regular season.
With basketball around the corner, it's not only college that is getting ready to begin their seasons. The NBA is almost here as well and this week, teams are holding media days to get set for the upcoming campaign.
For one former Duke basketball star, he's heading into his second season and looking to be take a step forward in his career. After finishing runner-up to former teammate Cooper Kupp in the NBA's Rookie of the Year race, Kon Knueppel enters year two with the Charlotte Hornets.
But his debut for the upcoming season could be on delay.
On Friday, the Hornets announced that Knueppel and Grant Williams both suffered injuries and will miss the preseason and maybe more. Both are dealing with hamstring injuries that will sideline them early on.
Knueppel's injury is his left hamstring and right now they are being precautionary with the injury as they don't want to risk it. The former No. 4 overall pick appeared in 81 of 82 games last season, averaging 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 0.7 steals per game.
The Hornets announced that the two will miss the preseason but will be re-evaluated during the first week of the regular season. But Knueppel's status for the opener in a few weeks is in serious doubt. The Hornets open up against the Brooklyn Nets on October 21st, just three weeks away.
Kon Knueppel's impressive rookie season
The former Duke star was selected No. 4 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft and made a significant impact right away. He was one of the top NBA rookies all season long and seemed to get better and better as the campaign went on.
He led the NBA in three-pointers made and broke a rookie record for three-pointers made last season, showing off his perimeter shooting abilities. He shot 42.5 percent from beyond the arc.
With the Hornets making changes to the roster, mainly trading LaMelo Ball to Minnesota, they are hoping a player like Knueppel can rise and be their superstar. They also added to the roster by re-signing Coby White and then recently trading for guard Rob Dillingham to bolster the backcourt.
Charlotte reached the NBA Play-In round and won a game before being eliminated shortly after that. The hope is now that they can get to that next level and become a legit contender in the NBA's Eastern Conference this season.
