The Charlotte Hornets’ season opener didn’t belong to a single star — it belonged to the collective. And at the center of that shared success was rookie wing Kon Knueppel, who delivered the kind of poised, versatile debut that quietly says, “I belong.”
Taken in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, Knueppel arrived in Charlotte with an unusual combination of polish and expectation. The front office and head coach Charles Lee had made it clear through training camp that Knueppel wasn’t a long-term project — he was drafted to play right away and to bring IQ, shooting, and flow to a roster searching for offensive cohesion.