When the Charlotte Hornets made their fourth overall selection in the first night of the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday night, they were looking for a few things. One of which was character, which reportedly was a factor in their draft decision. But another was obviously addressing arguably the biggest need of this team's roster: More shooting power.
To address that issue, Charlotte of course went with Duke's Kon Knueppel, who ESPN's Jeremy Woo described as the best spot-up shooter in the class. Clearly, Knueppel is going to provide this group a lift in that department from day one.
The Hornets finished last season dead last in the association in field goal percentage, 28th in three-point percentage, and 29th in offensive efficiency. It was clear from the outset that getting a guy who has a rock-solid foundation with his scoring ability was going to be of the utmost importance for Charlotte.
And that's exactly what Kon brings to the table. He's a high-level shot-maker that can knock it down from all over the floor, and he finished up his freshman season in Durham with an over 40% mark shooting from deep. It's this kind of talent that's going to be exactly what's needed alongside LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller in the Hornets' starting lineup.
Knueppel brings a lot of shooting power to the table
Especially following a slew of injuries this past season, Charlotte had been suffering from a severe lack of elite shooting power that hurt them more as the year went on. It was arguably their most glaring roster flaw, and the front office knew that their choice for the fourth pick was going to have to seek to remedy it.
In one way, the Hornets' decision to roll with Knueppel was in stark contrast to the way they chose to draft in the lottery last June. Owning the sixth overall pick in 2024, Charlotte rolled the dice on Tidjane Salaun. That was obviously a more risky pick given that they were gambling on a long-term project. Taking Kon Knueppel this year represented them making the "safe" pick.
That is to say that the Hornets wanted to take a guy who they knew exactly what they'd be getting from, with much fewer questions about what he'd become at the NBA level. And if you're a relatively new decision-maker like Jeff Peterson, I'd say taking a stab at both methods in back-to-back years is far from the worst idea. Feel it out, try a little of everything while making informed choices, see what works for you and what doesn't.
Given the landscape of this draft headed into Wednesday night and what they had to work with, I don't think the Hornets could have made a better selection than Kon Knueppel. Number seven from Duke is going to be precisely what Charlotte needs right now, and he's already coming in with the right mentality as well. The front office should be taking a bow.