The Charlotte Hornets are trying to keep themselves firmly in the postseason and play-in picture during the back half of the season, and they dominated their way to a 133-109 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday to improve to 29-31.
As has often been the case this season, a key part of the win was rookie Kon Knueppel, who is quickly emerging as the favorite to win Rookie of the Year while his former Duke University teammate Cooper Flagg remains sidelined with an injury.
Knueppel finished with 28 points, four rebounds and two assists, shooting 10-of-17 from the field and an astounding 8-of-12 from beyond the arc.
It was fitting that he delivered a remarkable shooting performance, as the NBA announced during the second half of the Hornets’ win that Knueppel has officially broken the record for most three-pointers made during a player’s rookie season, surpassing Keegan Murray, who knocked down 206 during the 2022-23 season for the Sacramento Kings.
Kon Knueppel still has roughly a quarter of the NBA season remaining to continue adding to his total, which could make the record even tougher to surpass given the pace he’s on in Charlotte during a tremendous rookie campaign at just 20 years old.
Entering Thursday night, through 58 games, Knueppel was averaging 19.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 48.9% from the field and 43.6% from three-point range.
The Hornets haven’t made the playoffs since the 2015-16 season, and while they still have a ways to go — and may have to play their way in through the play-in tournament — there’s no question they’re trending in the right direction. Kon Knueppel has been a massive part of that progress, fitting seamlessly alongside LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller.
“It’s what elevates our whole culture when you have a guy that’s that good, but that humble, no ego — it becomes contagious throughout your whole organization,” Hornets head coach Charles Lee said about Knueppel earlier this week.