LAS VEGAS – In between both makes and misses, Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel has impressed the organization for ensuring that his value goes beyond his shooting accuracy.
“His toughness shows. He’s got a grit and a toughness about him,” said Hornets assistant coach Chris Jent, who has also been the Hornets’ Summer-League head coach. “He’s really even keeled, which you kind of felt. Things don’t bother him. He’s pretty unfazed out there on the floor. That’s really impressive for such a young player.”
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Rarely do teams make definitive evaluations about an NBA prospect during Summer League play. Hence, the Hornets shrugged their shoulders after seeing Knueppel score only five points while shooting 1-for-8 from the field and 0-for-5 from deep in the Hornets’ summer-league opening loss to the Utah Jazz last Friday.
After all, Charlotte drafted Knueppel at No. 4 after seeing him excel during his freshman season at Duke as both a shooter (47.9% overall, 40.6% from 3), playmaker (2.7 assists) and defender. After missing the team’s second-summer league game to manage a right ankle injury he suffered during the pre-draft process, Knueppel rebounded in the Hornets’ 87-69 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday. Then, Knueppel posted 16 points, 10 rebounds and four assists while shooting 5-for-10 from the field, 3-for-5 from 3 and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line.
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“It felt good just to be aggressive and try to make winning plays,” Knueppel said. “It’s not always about makes and misses. I’m trying to be aggressive and get to the spots to try to make a winning play.”
It initially became difficult for Knueppel to make winning plays as he learned new teammates and a playbook amid a compressed practice schedule. Knueppel also joked with his mom that he has already had “a couple of feel-out games” dating back to his fifth-grade youth team. That hesitancy changed in Monday’s game where he scored 10 of his 16 points in the third quarter.
“It’s not necessarily butterflies. I’m just trying to figure out where you fit in,” Knueppel said. “I’m pretty unselfish as a player and I’m trying to make the right play. So sometimes that can hurt me a little bit in these types of scenarios.”
What can help him in these scenarios? Knueppel has what Jenkins called a “tough-minded” demeanor and has excelled as “an all-around player” with his off-ball movement, defending and strong pick-and-roll execution. Jenkins expects Knueppel to maintain that resiliency once he plays in NBA regular-season games.
“Your first NBA season is certainly a roller coaster. They always are,” Jenkins said. “You’re going to face a lot of adversity. So that toughness and mindfulness is really going to help him through that journey.”
Knueppel spoke more to Sportskeeda about his tough-mindedness, what he admires about Ray Allen’s shooting approach and eventually matching up with former Duke teammate Cooper Flagg.
Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and posted.
Kon Knueppel Exclusive
The Hornets obviously knew a lot about you before drafting you. But Coach Jent said he’s gotten a better appreciation for your toughness during Summer League. Where does that mentality come from?
Knueppel: “It’s how I was raised. You want to be a tough competitor. The first game didn’t go my way, obviously. I was really disappointed with that. But coming back and watching the film, I had gotten better. I could figure out what areas to improve. I think that’s toughness in a different way.”
Once you started playing the game, what notable events did you have to battle through that can apply to now?
Knueppel: “I used to not shoot. In middle school, there would be games where it still pops up every once in a while. I’m trying to make the right decision and the right play. Sometimes that takes away from my aggressiveness. But my shot is going to be my biggest weapon. I’m trying to rely on that.”
Which NBA shooters did you grow up admiring?
Knueppel: “Ray Allen. I don’t shoot really anything like him. But he was one of my favorite players just because he could shoot the hell out of it. He was one of my favorites.”
Allen is No. 2 on the all-time 3-point list so that’s self-explanatory. But shooter to shooter, what jumped out to you on what he did to be such a great shooter?
Knueppel: “It’s all about his feet. It’s him getting his base. It doesn’t have to be the same. He can be off-balance. But he’s getting his feet first and his upper body. It’s not about his shoulders. It’s always about his feet.”
You’re also known as a complete player. What went into building those habits?
Knueppel: “I used to not be able to shoot. I was a bad shooter. So in between my mid-range game, I was a playmaker. That was kind of my game. Shooting was the piece that I added on at the end. Obviously, now it kind of flipped a little bit because that’s valued so much more now. That’s kind of how that came to be.”
Obviously, you and Cooper had such a great connection at Duke. What’s it going to be like now matching up against him?
Knueppel: “It’ll be super fun. He’s going to have a whole lot of success. I’m super happy for him. It’ll be fun.”
Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.
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