Kon Knueppel continues to be a perfect player for Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Charlotte Hornets have been a superb team to follow in 2026. They are not on their fantastic winning streak anymore, but they are still quite a competitive team.
In their loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Knuppel passed Donovan Mitchell in the number of three-pointers made for a rookie. He only has Keegan Murray in front of him, and the Hornets still have 27 games left in the season.
Lee is still pleased with Knueppel's standout performance
Knueppel's best trait as an NBA player has been his three-point shooting. He is doing it at an elite rate, but he is still making them at a 43.3% clip.
That has led to him having an easy transition into the league, and he is one of the favorites to win Rookie of the Year. At the same time, he knows how to read the game well, which has led to an impressive stat line of 19.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game.
MORE: Kon Knueppel reveals Larry Bird-like mindset
Hornets head coach Charles Lee is pleased to be coaching Knueppel because of how talented he is. At the same time, he is such a coachable player, who is a dream piece to have for any coach.
"I never have to worry too much about him finding his offense or having to cater to him. That's one of the beauties of who he is as a player. He feeds and works off of everyone else so well," Lee said after a close loss to the Cavaliers.
Moving forward, Lee will maintain his system that is centered on getting shots up, especially for Knueppel. LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller are star players, but Knueppel also deserves to be part of the core.
More NBA news:
- Former NBA All-Star and champion picks Kon Knueppel as his Rookie of the Year over Flagg
- Giannis Antetokounmpo praises Kon Knueppel: 'One of the smartest rookies I’ve ever seen'
- LaMelo Ball car crash details: Latest updates after Hornets star involved in minor incident in Charlotte
- Kon Knueppel is proud of his skills as a shooter 'I'm one of the best in the world'
- Reggie Miller sees Kon Knueppel as one of the favorites to win the Three-Point Contest