The time has come for the Charlotte Hornets to embrace their future and focus on Kon Knueppel's evolution into the franchise centerpiece. However, they have not provided him with the opportunity to be at his best in his rookie year because of the lack of capable playmakers besides LaMelo Ball.
Knueppel's shot creation has been better than expected, but it has become clear as day that he is a wing player and has to share the floor with an adept point guard to be as effective as possible.
Among the Hornets' qualified two-man combinations, the only duos that have registered a positive net points per 100 possessions are the Ball-Miles Bridges (+4.8) and Ball-Knueppel (+3.4) pairs. It's also worth noting that the Knueppel-Tre Mann two-man combination has posted a -18.0 net points per 100 possessions while his tandem with KJ Simpson is a -7.1.
Hornets' PG depth is concerning
Evidently, Charlotte needs to look for at least one more player who can set up the offense and allow guys like Knueppel to get to their spots. The organization was likely hoping to see Ball suit up much more often this year, though it should have braced for the possibility of losing him to injury for an extended period. Relying too much on Mann and Collin Sexton being able to man the point guard slot when the star is indisposed has not worked out well.
Mann has performed terribly, well below the standards he established for himself during the second half of the 2023-24 campaign after he was shipped to Charlotte and in his 13 appearances last season, when he generated Sixth Man of the Year buzz. As harsh as it may sound, Lee should consider benching the combo guard and keeping Knueppel away from him until he looks like an NBA player again.
Meanwhile, Sexton has been more productive than Mann, although the rate at which he turns the ball over makes it tough for us to think that he deserves to be a backup point guard. Sure, he has given the Hornets a downhill driver who can pressure the rim, and he ranks second on the team in average assists, but his assist-per-turnover ratio is even worse than Simpson's.
The problem is that the organization failed to foresee this issue arising during the regular season, or maybe it did but still opted to push through with a roster with only Ball as the true point guard to stealthily tank this campaign. Now, it has no roster space to address the flaw, as the most expendable pieces, including Josh Green and Mason Plumlee, are either difficult to trade or also fill a position of need.
Unfortunately, Knueppel has been largely affected by the absence of competent floor generals, especially with Ball dealing with an ankle injury. For instance, he showed his potential to be the Hornets' go-to guy in the clutch on Sunday with timely baskets in the fourth quarter, but they couldn't get the job done and fell to the Atlanta Hawks 113-100, partly because the defense was able to key in on him when he had the ball and denied him from touching it on some possessions.
If Charlotte wants to create an environment where the first-year pro can excel even more, it has to scour free agency or the trade market to upgrade its point guard depth.