The Philadelphia 76ers found a keeper in VJ Edgecombe with the No. 3 pick of the 2025 draft. Yet, some might be unable to shake the feeling of whether they would have been better off selecting Kon Knueppel instead. Their Monday matchup with the Charlotte Hornets showed what they were missing.
It was pure domination by the Hornets, as they outscored Philadelphia 81-37 across the second and third quarters to complete the 130-93 blowout. They went ahead on the scoreboard by as much as 50, marking the second time in January they had built that big a margin. Charlotte is the first team to lead by at least 50 points in two separate contests within a calendar month in 17 years.
Kon Knueppel outplaying his draft classmate
Brandon Miller led Buzz City with 30 points, though it was a balanced scoring attack that helped the squad notch its third consecutive win. Knueppel had 12 points on 5-9 shooting from the field (2-5 from three). The rookie also chipped in eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals in just 20 minutes of action.
Meanwhile, Edgecombe struggled mightily against the Hornets' defense, which has been trending upwards in the past weeks. For the first time since the middle of November, he made just two field goals, doing so in 11 tries. He finished with just nine points, although he contributed six boards to try to make an impact elsewhere.
Still, it was clear that Knueppel was the better rookie on Monday. In fact, that has been the case for most of the 2025-26 campaign.
Sixers could be ruing their draft decision
It remains to be seen who ends up becoming the bigger star between Knueppel and Edgecombe. For now, the Duke University product has the upper hand, as he is neck and neck with Cooper Flagg in the Rookie of the Year race.
We can't rule out the possibility that Edgecombe becomes the better player in the long run. After all, some folks were wishing last summer that the guard would fall into the Hornets' lap at No. 4.
It's tough to imagine Edgecombe becoming more valuable, though, as Knueppel has established a role that most teams would love to have on their roster. An argument can even be made that the Sixers could benefit from having someone like the all-around sharpshooter.
The future remains somewhat cloudy for Philadelphia, given Joel Embiid's nagging battles with injuries.
However, there's a silver lining in that Tyrese Maxey has looked like a legitimate franchise player. And while a Maxey-Edgecombe backcourt exudes phenomenal potential, their fit next to one another appears a tad concerning because of their overlapping strengths. The pair even figured in a heated argument at their bench during a game earlier this month. They appear to have already settled it, but one cannot help but think how Maxey would fare alongside a future star who has proven to be low-maintenance and highly versatile.
On the other hand, the Hornets wouldn't have it any other way, as Knueppel is undoubtedly the best fit for them among the current crop of rookies.