The Charlotte Hornets look like they are heading to another doomed season. The difference, though, is that the team is not as unwatchable as it was in previous years because of Kon Knueppel. Despite coming into the regular season less heralded than some of his draft classmates, he should be in pole position in the Rookie of the Year race.
Thanks in part to Brandon Miller's lengthy absence and LaMelo Ball's mysteriously extended stay on the sidelines, Knueppel has been provided with the opportunity to show what he is capable of. Evidently, he has been up to the task, emerging as the Hornets' best player in the last four games — and rewriting history in the process.
Besides breaking 3-point records, Knueppel became the first NBA player ever to put up over 150 points and 30 3-pointers in the first 10 games of his career.
He has also established that he is more than just a scorer, as he averaged 10.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest to complement his 25.0 points per match last week, securing him a nomination for the Eastern Conference Player of the Week award. Advanced statistics have also proven the value of the Duke University product. In his past four appearances, he has registered a +40.1 net rating swing (+10.2 on and -29.9 off), underscoring how badly Charlotte needs him on the floor.
Hornets' record could affect Kon Knueppel's ROY candidacy, but it shouldn't
Perhaps the only hindrance to Knueppel's shot at being atop the Rookie of the Year ladder is the Hornets' disappointing 3-7 record. With the injuries piling up, it wouldn't be shocking to see the squad continue to slide in the standings.
However, team record shouldn't be a criterion for the top rookie plum, as six of the previous seven winners played for non-playoff teams. The only exception was 2021-22 Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes, who suited up for a Toronto Raptors club where four of his teammates averaged at least 17.1 points per game.
A look at Knueppel's rivals for the coveted award shows that he has a definitive edge over each of them.
Many outlets have VJ Edgecombe leading the pack in the Rookie of the Year race because of the Philadelphia 76ers' 6-4 standing. However, Knueppel has surpassed him in average scoring, doing so while shooting more efficiently from the field and the free-throw line — and without the privilege of playing alongside the likes of Tyrese Maxey, part-timer Joel Embiid, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Quentin Grimes. Edgecombe has the advantage in assists and steals, but that's only because they play different roles.
Other rookies who have also been mentioned as possible frontrunners for Rookie of the Year are Cedric Coward and Cooper Flagg. However, Coward is trending in the wrong direction, as the Memphis Grizzlies have been outscored an average of 7.2 points per game whenever he is on the court in their past six bouts. As for Flagg, the No. 1 pick has been a massive disappointment, considering the hype that had surrounded him even well before he entered the NBA.
So, taking away the Hornets' win-loss record and given Knueppel's on-court production, the state of the competition, and the narratives (a concept that the voters for the NBA end-of-season awards have an affinity for) surrounding his Rookie of the Year candidacy despite not getting the love before the start of the regular season and about his capability of changing the culture in Charlotte at such a young age should make him the clear favorite to take home the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy.