The Hornets added one of the best shooters in the 2025 NBA Draft by selecting Knueppel with the No. 4 overall pick. The Duke product figures to be a starter on Opening Night, alongside LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller in the backcourt. With Knueppel and Miller as elite three-point threats, Ball should have a ton of open space to make plays. Knueppel averaged 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals in 30.5 minutes per game during his lone season with the Blue Devils in 2024-25, proving he's more than just a floor spacer. However, his shooting ability is his most NBA-ready trait (48/41/91 shooting splits in college), so that's the role he'll likely have to fill early in his career while he develops the other parts of his game. Knueppel won't have the ball in his hands a ton, with Ball, Miller and Miles Bridges expected to lead the team in usage, but the rookie should be locked into consistent minutes as long as he holds up defensively. Backup guards Collin Sexton, Spencer Dinwiddie and Tre Mann could eat into Knueppel's playing time if he struggles, but Charlotte will presumably prioritize the youngster's development unless they make a surprising playoff push. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a two-year, $20.53 million contract with the Hornets in July of 2025. Contract includes $11.02 million team option for 2027-28.
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary
The Knueppel family is full of hoopers, as Kon's mother, father and uncle played in college, while his uncle, Jeff Nordgaard, had a brief NBA career with the Bucks before playing professionally overseas. Kon was named 2024 Wisconsin Mr. Basketball after leading his high school team, Wisconsin Lutheran, to the Division 2 State Championship. Along with Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach, Knueppel spent only one season at Duke, averaging 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals in 30.5 minutes per game, but the Blue Devils' excellent season ended after falling to Houston in the Final Four. Knueppel posted 48/41/91 shooting splits in his lone collegiate campaign on 9.7 field-goal attempts, 5.3 three-point tries and 3.3 free-throw trips per game. Knueppel was an all-around player at Duke, but his three-point shot was his calling card. He profiles as a sharpshooter at the NBA level who can immediately contribute, while the 19-year-old's playmaking and defense will take some time to develop. Despite a 6-foot-7, 217-pound frame, Knueppel struggled to finish around the rim at an elite level in college, but he plays off two feet, has great patience in the post/paint and gets to his spot more often than not. He's not the quickest or strongest, but he has good defensive instincts and shows the ability to be a solid defender within a structured system. Knueppel's combination of size and shooting is reminiscent of Gradey Dick, Doug McDermott, Corey Kispert and Sam Hauser. Hauser is the only member of that group who wasn't taken with a top-15 pick, but he's arguably had the best career. It's safe to say Knueppel, who has a higher upside than the aforementioned sharpshooters due to his playmaking ability, will be taken early in the 2025 Draft, especially given the importance of three-point shooting in today's NBA. However, Knueppel will likely need to land in the perfect organizational fit to reach his full potential.
Nets 27 points with six triples
FCharlotte Hornets
March 6, 2026
Knueppel totaled 27 points (9-14 FG, 6-10 3Pt, 3-3 FT), two rebounds and four assists over 34 minutes during Friday's 128-120 loss to the Heat.
ANALYSIS Knueppel was quiet through the first half of Friday's game, but he caught fire after halftime and scored 19 of his 27 points on 6-for-10 shooting in the second half. This was the rookie's eighth game of the season with at least six treys, and it was nice to see him dish out some dimes after failing to do so in his previous outing.
2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Starting/Off Bench
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2025
Stat Review
How does Kon Knueppel compare to other players?
This section compares his stats with all players from the previous three seasons (minimum 200 minutes played)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
True Shooting %
An advanced statistic that measures a player's efficiency at shooting the ball that takes field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three point percentage into account.
Effective Field Goal %
A statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points while field goals only count for two points.
3-Point Attempt Rate
Percentage of field goal attempts from three point range.
Free Throw Rate
Number of free throw attempts per field goal attempt.
Offensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available offensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Defensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available defensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Total Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Assist %
An estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while they were on the floor.
Steal %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent possessions that end with a steal by the player while they were on the floor.
Block %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent two-point field goal attempts blocked by the player while they were on the floor.
Turnover %
An estimate of turnovers committed per 100 plays.
Usage %
An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while they were on the floor.
Fantasy Points Per Game
NBA Fantasy Points Per Game.
Fantasy Points Per Minute
NBA Fantasy Points Per Minute.
True Shooting %
65.2%
Effective Field Goal %
62.1%
3-Point Attempt Rate
59.1%
Free Throw Rate
21.0%
Offensive Rebound %
4.4%
Defensive Rebound %
14.4%
Total Rebound %
9.5%
Assist %
16.8%
Steal %
1.0%
Block %
0.7%
Turnover %
10.5%
Usage %
22.4%
Fantasy Points Per Game
31.8
Fantasy Points Per Minute
1.0
Total
Per Game
Per 36
NBA Historical Fantasy Stats
How are these ratings calculated?
Our historical fantasy ratings are standard scores calculated using 8-Category settings with 12 teams and 13 players per team.
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NBA Per Game Historical Fantasy Stats
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NBA Per 36 Historical Fantasy Stats
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Historical ADP
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Hornets Depth Chart
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Average Fantasy Points are determined when Kon Knueppel was active vs. non-active during the season. Click here to view average fantasy points for a different time period.
Minutes
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Yahoo
FantasyDraft
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More Fantasy News
Another strong line
FCharlotte Hornets
March 5, 2026
Knueppel closed Wednesday's 118-89 victory over Boston with 20 points (7-14 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 2-3 FT), four rebounds and one block in 31 minutes.
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Drills eight treys
FCharlotte Hornets
February 26, 2026
Knueppel ended with 28 points (10-17 FG, 8-12 3Pt), four rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal over 31 minutes during Thursday's 133-109 win over the Pacers.
ANALYSIS Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Becomes 1st to 200 threes
FCharlotte Hornets
February 25, 2026
Knueppel finished Tuesday's 131-99 win over the Bulls with 21 points (7-12 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 4-4 FT), one rebound, two assists and two steals over 23 minutes.
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Pours in 28 points
FCharlotte Hornets
February 23, 2026
Knueppel produced 28 points (10-18 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 3-5 FT), seven rebounds, four assists and one steal in 28 minutes during Sunday's 129-112 victory over Washington.
ANALYSIS Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Drains seven triples in loss
FCharlotte Hornets
February 20, 2026
Knueppel logged 33 points (11-20 FG, 7-15 3Pt, 4-5 FT), six rebounds, two assists and one steal over 37 minutes during the Hornets' 118-113 loss to the Cavaliers on Friday.
ANALYSIS Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
ANALYSIS Even though Cooper Flagg was seen as the frontrunner to win the award around late January, it seems Knueppel has overtaken his former Duke teammate. Flagg's absence due to a foot injury, combined with the Hornets going 15-3 over their last 18 games, has given Knueppel the edge, according to Clark. Charlotte's head coach Charles Lee went as far as saying that he doesn't think the race is close.