Rookie Kon Knueppel made his case for Rookie of the Year yet again on Wednesday as he helped the Charlotte Hornets blitz the Chicago Bulls, 131-99, for their eighth straight road win.
Aside from making a strong case for NBA Rookie of the Year, Knueppel also made history, both for the franchise and the NBA itself. With his three triples, the former Duke Blue Devil became the first and, so far, only Hornet to make 200 treys within 60 games in a season. League-wide, he broke Duncan Robinson’s record as the fastest NBA player to reach 200 treys, doing so in just 58 games—11 games fewer than Robinson.
Knueppel finished with 21 points on Wednesday as the Hornets’ second-leading scorer. Leading the way was Brandon Miller, who fired 23 markers. LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges added 16 apiece, while three other Hornets came off the bench to finish in double digits. Matas Buzelis led the Bulls with a career-best 32, while Guerschon Yabusele and Patrick Williams had 11 each.
Kon Knueppel, the Sharpshooter
Buzz around Kon Knueppel potentially nabbing the Rookie of the Year award is growing—and rightfully so. The 20-year-old neophyte is putting up 19.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists on 48.7% shooting overall, 43.5% from downtown, and 89.1% from the charity stripe. He has also played in all but 2 of the Hornets’ 59 games this season so far.
In addition, Knueppel leads the entire NBA in triples made this season at 201—more than dead-eye shooters like Steph Curry, Luka Doncic, and Jalen Brunson. The young Hornet is also on pace to set the all-time record for triples made by a rookie, as he is just six away from breaking Keegan Murray’s record of 206, which he set with the Sacramento Kings in the 2022-23 NBA season.
Kon Knueppel and the Hornets will look to keep the buzz going when they face off against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday. The Bulls will try to bounce back when they take on the Portland Trail Blazers, also on the same day.
