Hornets' Kon Knueppel struggles in first postseason game

Kon Knueppel led the NBA with 273 three-pointers in his rookie season. He couldn't sink a single one in his first postseason game.

The Charlotte Hornets eventually sat their rookie sensation for the final minutes of the fourth quarter and all of overtime after he shot 2-for-12 and missed all six of his three-point attempts. But his teammates picked Knueppel up by hitting 18 three-pointers in a 127-126 win over the Miami Heat, giving him a chance to redeem himself in Friday's final play-in game.

Kon Knueppel is slumping at the worst time

In Knueppel's last 10 games, he's shooting 20-for-71 from behind the arc, a 28.2 percent rate that's significantly below his 42.5 percent clip for the full season. His scoring has dropped from 18.5 PPG to 12.5 in that stretch.

It may be a slump or it may simply be fatigue. The 20-year-old Knueppel played his 82nd game of the season Tuesday night, after playing 39 games in his lone season at Duke. Last year he logged 1,189 minutes, while this season he's been on the court for 2,585.

Knueppel is still rebounding and playing solid defense, but he seemed to struggle to get open in Tuesday's game. That could be the Miami Heat's swarming defense that keyed on Knueppel, but it may also be simply a matter of the rookie's tired legs taking away the lift from his jump shot.

Charlotte Hornets may adjust rotations for Kon Knueppel

The Hornets will have to decide how concerned they'll be about Knueppel's downturn. Perhaps getting two full days off before Friday's game will be enough for the rookie to bounce back. It could be that Knueppel's other skills, as a defender and a passer, might make him valuable even if his shot isn't falling. Teams may react to his gravity like he's the same knockdown shooter he was during the season, even if Knueppel isn't as deadly right now.

The slump highlights the steal the Hornets got at the trade deadline when they picked up Coby White from the Chicago Bulls. He shot 39.1 percent from three in 21 games as a Hornet and carried the team in the third quarter, when he made four three-pointers in the final 4:01.