Hornets' Kon Knueppel is a better version of what Peterson was aiming for with Knecht

The Charlotte Hornets tried to trade for Dalton Knecht last year when the Lakers tried to get Mark Williams out of Charlotte. That trade fell through because of Williams' physical.

Los Angeles ended up voiding the trade, meaning that the Hornets weren't going to get Knecht. They targeted him because of his upside as a shooter and a pure scorer.

It ended up being a good thing that Knecht had to make his way back to Los Angeles because the Hornets were able to draft Knueppel, who is an upgraded version of what Knecht projects to be.

The Charlotte Hornets got a better version of Dalton Knecht in Kon Knueppel

Knueppel has already shown how good he can be, winning the Summer League Championship MVP. His ability to shoot the ball off the catch and create his own shots off the dribble is key to what they want to do.

Knecht had issues in Los Angeles not playing with the ball in his hands all of the time, which is what he was able to do at Tennessee. Knueppel was never the primary ball-handler at Duke, so that's something he's comfortable doing already.

Defensively, Knecht might have higher potential because of his body, but Knuppel is no slouch on that end. He is able to slide his feet well enough to stay in front of drivers, which is good for a rookie.

Knecht will likely get better as his career moves along. He might be better off with a different organization, though.

Hornets GM Jeff Peterson lucked out not having to keep Dalton Knecht

Peterson wouldn't have drafted Knueppel if Knecht were on the roster. He wouldn't have had the room to bring Knueppel in, although he may have decided to do so anyway.

Either way, the Lakers being scared off of Williams ended up being a net positive for the Hornets. Williams eventually was traded to the Suns, and Charlotte brought Knueppel in.

There's a good chance that Knueppel ends up playing better than Knecht next year based on the players he has around him feeding the ball.

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