Charles Lee reveals the one thing that stood out in Kon Knueppel’s Hornets debut

When asked what he saw from Knueppel on Sunday, Lee came across as pleased with his rookie.

“(I saw) his overall competitiveness and IQ for understanding where to be,” Lee said. “I saw some grit, some fight defensively, trying to guard closeouts and using his physicality, which I was really impressed with. We need to get him talking a little bit more … We're gonna continue to see a lot of growth from that young man as the season continues to go."

Knueppel didn’t do anything against OKC to detract from his case to start for the Hornets once the regular season tips off. Lee went with a starting five of LaMelo Ball, Knueppel, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, and Moussa Diabate on Sunday. Tre Mann and Collin Sexton were key guys off the bench (17 minutes apiece), whereas it was clear that Lee and his staff were trying to get a closer look at Tidjane Salaun (24 minutes) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (25 minutes), a hint that both players are in consideration for a rotation spot.

Knueppel’s offensive output so far in a Hornets uniform — both in this preseason game and during summer league — is a good sign that Charlotte will have more than enough scoring production from its guards and wings in 2025-26. That should allow the Hornets to focus far less on generating offense and more so on improving what looked on Sunday like a woefully weak defense.

Charlotte’s inability to prevent other teams from scoring might drive down their win count this season, but Knueppel’s outing reminded fans that this team will once again be an exciting watch. It's still mighty early, but the sharpshooter has looked out of the gate like everything he was advertised as, and perhaps a bit more.