Conn Knueppel officially has the attention of Charles Barkley
The Charlotte Hornets are trying to claw their way into the Eastern Conference playoff spot, and one of the main reasons they could do that is the play of the rookie sensation the game of rookie sensation Kon Knuepel. Knuppel firmly established himself as a leader for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, and has caught the attention of several big names, including the former NBA star Charles Barclay.
During a recent “Inside The NBA” segment, Charles Barkley explained why is he a fan the rising stars of the Hornets.
“That young man Conn Knueppel is rude,” Barkley said. Barkley also said that while the Hornets have been bad for a while, they are playing very hard this season.
The Hornets are currently 18-28 and in 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings. They are three and a half games back of the 10th seed Atlanta Hawks and a playoff spot. They are well on their way to surpassing last season’s winning total of 19 games.
The Hornets may not have landed the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft, but they look like they came away with a potential franchise star. Knuepel has appeared in 44 of the Hornets’ 46 games this season, including 43 starts, while logging just over 32 minutes per game.
Knueppel averaged 19.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 48.2 percent from the field, 42.3 percent from the 3-point line and 90 percent from the free throw line. He leads all rookies in points, is in the top 10 in rebounding and in the top five in assists.
He was part of Duke’s starting five, all of whom were drafted, including current Hornets teammate Zion James. The others are Cooper Flagg, Khaman Maluach and Tirese Procter.
With Knuppel in the fold, the Hornets have a very solid young front four including LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges.
2026-01-24 20:51:00
