It hasn't been a great year so far for the Charlotte Hornets. Rumors around LaMelo Ball's future in North Carolina have continued to gather steam, while Charlotte is on track to miss the NBA playoffs for the 10th season running.
However, it appears that the franchise struck gold by drafting Kon Knueppel out of Duke with the fourth overall pick in the 2025 draft.
Hornets legend Alonzo Mourning believes that even though Charlotte is languishing with a 7-17 record right now, Knueppel -- the prospective Rookie of the Year -- will be a key part of the team's turnaround.
“He can shoot, man,” Mourning said in an interview with VideoGamer. “That’s all I can say. He can flat-out shoot it.”
Indeed, he can. Knueppel is leading all rookies with 18.0 points per game, and no rookie with at least 500 minutes played has a higher 3-point percentage than he does at 40.3.
Knueppel may well have a 50/40/90 season in his near future. In addition to his gaudy 3-point percentage, Knueppel is shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 90.9 percent from the free-throw line.
Franchise guard Ball's long-term future in Charlotte remains uncertain. But the Hornets at least have another All-Star caliber sharpshooter to build around in the coming years if Ball's injury struggles continue -- or if the 24-year-old ends up being dealt to another team.
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