Knueppel was brilliant in an otherwise deflating loss to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night. He showed his full complement of talents, dicing up Indiana on offense while providing adequate defense against the Pacers' plethora of athletic perimeter scorers.

From trade rumors swirling around LaMelo Ball to a disappointing loss against an injury-depleted Pacers squad, it’s been a turbulent week for the Charlotte Hornets.

Once again, rookie guard Kon Knueppel was the bright spot. The first-year standout led all scorers with 28 points, adding eight rebounds, seven assists and five made threes while shooting 11-for-20 from the field.

Kon Knueppel, the No. 4 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, has been arguably the most spectacular rookie in the NBA thus far. The Duke product is averaging 18.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists on 47.3% shooting from the field and 40.3% from three. He leads first-year players in points, threes made and field goals.

Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel has captured the attention of the media since the start of the 2025-26 NBA season. As a first-year player, the Hornets forward has produced like a veteran.

Kon Knueppel reaches multiple milestones in Charlotte's loss vs. Indiana originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel celebrated playing his first NBA game in his hometown of Milwaukee by hosting his new teammates for dinner.

With the hot start to the season for Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel, one analyst compares him to that of Devin Booker and Klay Thompson.