NBA analyst has silly criticism for Kon Knueppel in Summer League

According to one NBA analyst, Kon Knueppel is one of the three biggest losers of NBA Summer League. The Charlotte Hornets' fourth overall pick struggled in one game, sat out another, and then came back with a relative bang in the team's third game. Still, he was criticized for the first two games.

Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey said that Knueppel is a loser because early impressions are hard to shake. "Kon Knueppel, the fourth overall pick in June, debuted on Friday against the Utah Jazz and just sort of floated throughout a game in which he finished with five points on 1-of-8 shooting," he said.

Bailey did credit Knueppel for dishing out four assists and showcasing some dribble-drives that indicate that he might not only be a shooter, but Bailey said he also turned the ball over three times, and obviously didn't hit a single three-point shot.

"What's more, Liam McNeeley, who plays roughly the same position and was taken by the Charlotte Hornets 25 picks after Knueppel, didn't even start and did a lot of what many expected out of the Duke product," Bailey went on.

McNeeley looked great in that opener, recording 12 rebounds and hitting multiple three-pointers. Then Knueppel didn't help himself, in Bailey's eyes, by sitting out for maintenance of the ankle injury he had before the draft process.

"To his credit, he bounced back with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists on Monday, but that was against the Cooper Flagg-less Dallas Mavericks. And unfortunately, early impressions in Vegas can take a little time to shake," Bailey concluded.

This criticism flies in the face of his own logic used later on. He dubbed Cooper Flagg a winner of the Summer League despite having an abysmal opening game: 5/21 shooting and just 10 points. Flagg bounced back in a big way in Game 2 before being shut down, but if he can be named a winner after one horrible and one good game, then why can't Knueppel?

Bailey excused the shooting since anyone can have a bad night, though apparently Knueppel isn't supposed to. Summer League isn't ideal for someone with Knueppel's game to thrive, but he bounced back from his quiet debut with a much stronger second act. Apparently, that doesn't matter to some, though the performances have helped Charlotte start 3-0 in Summer League action.

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