NBA Insider Sees Stephen Curry In Kon Knueppel’s Game

ESPN’s NBA insider Brian Windhorst sees Golden State Warriors veteran Stephen Curry in Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel’s game more than Dallas Mavericks veteran Klay Thompson. Here’s why.

NBA Insider Sees Stephen Curry In Kon Knueppel’s Game

Windhorst, who works as a senior NBA writer for ESPN, sees Curry in Knueppel’s game more than Thompson.

NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) posted Windhorst’s recent NBA Countdown video clip on X, formerly Twitter, with the caption, “Brian Windhorst believes Kon Knueppel is closer to Steph Curry than he is Klay Thompson when discussing his comparison.”

NBA Courtside’s post on X attracted ample attention. One X user responded, “They just can’t wait for Steph to be done so they keep on setting these people up. Let them be good in their own way.”

Another X user replied, “The problem is that the media has reduced Steph to be just the greatest shooter. Steph is more than that. He has arguably the second-best handles after Kyrie in this generation, elite finishing, playmaking, dribbling, etc., then you want to compare him to Kon because of his 3 points?”

NBA Insider’s Thoughts On Knueppel vs. Klay Thompson

Windhorst has heard over and over again about the comparison between Knueppel and Thompson. However, Windhorst, 47, believes the majority of us have been looking at the wrong “Splash Brother.”

Windhorst said, “I know it sounds crazy, but when you watch how this guy has taken the league by storm…okay, the three-pointers per game, it’s a different era. Look at the percentage, look at the age. And you know what? He’s like Steph in that you can’t catch him. One of his great things that he does is move without the ball. Pass and relocate. He’ll set a ton of screens. If you don’t know about Kon Knueppel, if you didn’t watch him at Duke, watch the way he impacts the game.”

Of all the talented players in the stacked 2025 NBA Draft class, very few individuals outside of the Charlotte Hornets’ world expected him to be the guy who everyone is obsessing over at the midway point of the season.

Knueppel, 20, has been on a tear thus far this season, which has gotten more of the NBA world talking about the No. 4 overall pick. Former Duke star Cooper Flagg, who was the 2025 No. 1 overall pick, got an equal amount of love as his former Duke teammate in Knueppel, but that was to be expected. Flagg, 19, has a slight edge due to his height, wingspan, high school achievements, college successes, and, of course, his presence in television commercials.

However, Knueppel appears to be a humble guy. When asked by Sports Illustrated’s Matt Alquiza about what it was like to share the floor with Curry on New Year’s Eve, he responded, “Uh, I don’t know about that.”

Knueppel’s Next Steps

Knueppel has put the league on notice, and barring any significant injuries, will continue to do so in the 2025-26 NBA season and beyond.

The achievements through his first 46 games of his NBA career are rare. Knueppel is averaging 18.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game, while shooting 48.2% from the field, 42.2% from three-point range, and 89.5% from the line. He can potentially shoot 50-40-90 as a rookie playing substantial minutes. His 151 three-pointers this season are on pace to surpass Sacramento Kings Forward Keegan Murray’s 206 on the NBA’s record for threes.

The Milwaukee, Wisconsin native may not be like Curry at the moment, but the similarities are there.