Charlotte Hornets coach Charles Lee offered a crucial update on Kon Knueppel after their win over the Orlando Magic. Per Lee, the X-rays taken of Knueppel's right ankle turned out negative. Fans can't celebrate just yet, though, because we have yet to know the severity of the sprain.
The fact, though, that Knueppel didn't break his ankle is worth thanking the basketball gods for. However, sprained ankles are complicated in nature. As Matt Alquiza of Sports Illustrated pointed out, Ryan Kalkbrenner was able to shake off a similar injury earlier this season. On the other hand, Christian Braun of the Denver Nuggets has been sidelined since the middle of November due to a left ankle sprain.
It's unclear how serious Knueppel's sprained ankle is. But his having to be helped off the floor and into the ankle room instead of being able to walk off on his own might be a bad omen for the Hornets.
Weathering the storm
Charlotte must have already gotten used to losing some of its top stars to injuries.
LaMelo Ball has had just one healthy campaign in his first five seasons in the NBA. This year, he has already sat out 10 contests. Meanwhile, Brandon Miller has also found himself needing to shed the injury-prone tag after making just 27 appearances last season and suiting up in less than half of the Hornets' games so far in the 2025-26 campaign.
But the atmosphere surrounding the organization seems different now that it's Knueppel who is in danger of staying in street clothes for maybe weeks. Is it because he is the Hornets' best hope of ending their rebuilding phase? Or perhaps some fans are worried that he will follow in the footsteps of Ball and Miller, whose road to reaching their potential has been derailed by health issues.
Whatever the case may be, Charlotte has to be prepared for the possibility of having to play without Knueppel for a while. It wouldn't be an easy task; that's for sure.
He is the team's most potent perimeter threat, leading all Hornets players with 3.6 3-pointers per match, while hitting such shots at 41.9 percent efficiency. In addition to his gravity, his gifts as a screener and a connective passer have been instrumental in making their offense typically range from passable to explosive.
Hopefully, Ball, Miller, and Miles Bridges are up to the task of covering for Knueppel's production for the starting lineup, if it had to come down to that. Collin Sexton also appears to be on the mend to help the Hornets maintain their offensive performance.