Former Duke Blue Devils guard Kon Knueppel. Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

NBA writer gives promising forecast of Kon Knueppel's immediate Hornets future

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Colin Keane | Last updated Sep 24, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The Charlotte Hornets believe they have a potential star in Kon Knueppel, and the Duke guard’s summer league performance didn’t do anything to hurt that narrative. While it’s tough to say whether or not Knueppel will have a tremendous impact from the jump as a rookie, the Hornets are hoping that he ultimately grows into the type of player that can be a third star alongside LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller.

Of course, Ball and Miller are still in the process of solidifying their own statuses in the league. Though both players are highly talented individuals with a good sample size of NBA production to their names, both have watched injuries diminish their stock.

This was reflected in the new ESPN player rankings, which are being rolled out this week and saw LaMelo drop from No. 50 (last season) to No. 63, and Miller from No. 68 to No. 76.

Offsetting this disappointing development for Hornets fans is the potential rise of Knueppel between now and next year’s rankings.

NBA analyst believes Kon Knueppel can become a top-100 player right away for Hornets

As a spin-off to ESPN’s top-100 rankings, ESPN’s Kevin Pelton put out an article on Tuesday entitled, “NBA Rank 2025-26: Which 10 players can crack next year's list?”, and he included Knueppel in the piece.

“After the top two picks, there's not much correlation between where a player is drafted and their chances of cracking NBA Rank as a sophomore,” Pelton wrote. “It's more a matter of production, as we saw this year with No. 9 pick Zach Edey making this year's list.”

“Knueppel, who was named MVP of the NBA summer league championship game after leading to the Hornets to the title, might be as ready to contribute as any rookie outside of his Duke teammate (Cooper) Flagg and has more immediate opportunity than (San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan) Harper and No. 3 pick VJ Edgecombe. So I'm going to bet on him to join the list next year.”

If Knueppel stays healthy, he should have ample opportunities for minutes during his rookie campaign. It’s still unclear whether Knueppel will start for Charlotte alongside Ball (Collin Sexton might instead), but he’s without a doubt going to be heavily involved in Charles Lee’s rotation from Opening Night onwards.

The sooner Knueppel can get adjusted to the speed of NBA basketball, the better, and Charlotte knows that the best way for Knueppel to achieve that feat is to throw him into the deep end.

If Knueppel can stay afloat during the ups and downs that come with any rookie season (even for the greats), he has a chance to validate his supporters and maybe even exceed their expectations in 2025-26.