CBS Sports shouts out Kon Knueppel for not sitting out most of Summer League

Summer League was a good time for Kon Knueppel. He played very well for the Charlotte Hornets, winning Championship MVP and helping Charlotte go undefeated and win its first-ever Summer League title.

Knueppel stood out for his level of play, but also for the fact that he actually played most of the time. He sat out the second game to rest an ailing ankle, but he otherwise suited up every single night. That wasn't true of all rookies drafted before him, which was one of CBS Sports' Cameron Salerno's disappointments with Summer League.

It was supposed to be a time for the top rookies in a loaded class to shine, but Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, and VJ Edgecombe bowed out early. "The good news is, if you were a fan of the Hornets or someone who wanted to watch No. 4 overall pick Kon Knueppel play, it was a good summer league," Salerno said. "Knueppel helped Charlotte take home the summer league title and played in five games."

And not only did Knueppel play, but he received some praise for his level of performance. It's one thing to show up, but it's another to do well in a league that wasn't necessarily tailored to Knueppel's skill set. "CBS Sports released our annual All-Summer League teams earlier this week. Three former Duke players (Flagg, Knueppel, and Kyle Filipowski) were all on it. Filipowski was our pick for MVP, while Knueppel landed on first team after winning MVP honors of the championship game," Salerno concluded.

Knueppel could've sat out after a dismal opening contest and after needing some time to rest his ankle injury. Instead, he came back and delivered strong performance after strong performance, giving fans something to watch and helping justify his fourth overall selection.

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