Three reasons why Kon Knueppel should be NBA Rookie of the Year front-runner

The Charlotte Hornets have a stud of a rookie on their roster. Picking fourth overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Hornets took a player who many considered to be the best overall shooter in the draft, Kon Knueppel from Duke. 

With a healthy LaMelo Ball on the roster and some talent around them, the idea was that Knueppel could shine almost immediately. And shine he has. With the likes of Ball, Miles Bridges and Collin Sexton around him, Knueppel has been able to find his shooting stroke early and often, which has helped him catapult to the top of Rookie of the Year contention. 

This year is going to be tight, as former Duke teammate Cooper Flagg is nipping on Knueppel's heels. Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe, who has cooled off since his hot start, is also a name in the running. Yet, despite Edgecombe and Flagg's run so far, Knueppel is the top rookie so far. Why does the Hornets wing player stand out among his fellow rookies? 

1. Shooting Skills

It's hard to deny that Knueppel isn't a great pure shooter. He's shooting 46.5 percent overall, 41.5 percent from three and has a 62.2 percent true shooting percentage. All while doing it on a large volume of shots. 

He currently sits 68th in the league with 13.7 shots attempted, so he's clearly not just shooting a handful of times per game. While 68th doesn't seem impressive, considering there are roughly 450 players in the NBA today, being a more active shooter than 85 percent of the league is nothing to shake a finger at.

2. Multi-tool player

Sometimes when you get a great shooter, that's all you get. Guys like Joe Harris were just players who waited to be passed the ball, and then did little else. That's not the case for the Hornets rookie. 

Not only is he a dynamic rebounder, averaging 5.7 per game, but he can pass the ball as well. He's not a great ball-handler like LeBron James and Luka Doncic, guys who can bring the ball up and kick it out to a teammate at the right time, but Knueppel can, in fact, dish the rock. If he doesn't have a shot, he can be an outlet passer from time to time to those who aren't covered. It's why he's averaging 3.0 assists per game so far.

3. He's outshooting the best in the NBA

When we talk about rookies and their shooting skills, we often compare them to fellow rookies. Yet, Knueppel isn't just shooting better than most rookies; he is instead matching shot for shot with the best in the NBA. 

He has the green light to shoot as much as he wants, and because of that, he's currently 10th in the NBA in three-pointers attempted. The only players who have more attempts per game are Lauri Markkanen, Derrick White, Michael Porter Jr., Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Maxey, James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Steph Curry and Luka Doncic. None of those players is shooting as well as Knueppel's 41.5 percent from three (rebounding/passing, stats similar to modern stars).