Kon Knueppel has been on an absolute tear this season, sitting atop the league with a staggering 243 made threes. But the gap is anything but safe with Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic trailing him at 238, applying real pressure as the season winds down. Even a fellow Charlotte Hornet, LaMelo Ball, has surged into the conversation with 220 triples.
The Lakers caught fire in March, ripping off nine straight wins and climbing to the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. At the center of that run has been Doncic, who has looked virtually unguardable—pouring in 40 points per night and knocking down around six threes a game with effortless confidence.
Knueppel remains the overwhelming favorite for Rookie of the Year, but this particular honor is far from secured. Doncic has the star power to overtake him. The question now becomes: what does Knueppel need to do to keep his lead intact and finish the job?
Doncic’s sheer volume
Knueppel has firmly established himself as one of the league’s best shooters, arguably top five this season. The one area where he’ll never quite match Doncic is sheer volume. Luka simply operates with the ball in his hands far more often.Â
He leads the league in usage rate, and the gap between the two is massive: 36.7 percent for Doncic compared to Knueppel’s 21.7. That kind of workload naturally translates into more possessions, more touches, and ultimately more shot attempts.
Doncic is launching nearly 11 threes per game, a number few players in the league can match. Knueppel, by contrast, is taking around eight per night. With only an eight‑make difference separating first and second place, the margin is slim enough that Doncic could absolutely close the gap over the final eleven games.
Efficiency is Knueppel’s ace in the hole
While Doncic has the freedom to take any shot he wants, Knueppel brings something even more valuable: elite efficiency. He’s hitting threes at a blistering 43.4 percent clip compared to Doncic’s 36.7, giving him a clear edge in pure shooting proficiency.
What makes that shooting prowess even more dangerous is how little effort Knueppel needs to access it. His mechanics are clean and compact. He doesn’t always need the ball in his hands to score like Doncic.Â
His off-ball movement is deliberate and sharp, which creates high-value looks that constantly make him a threat. While some scorers require volume to find their groove, Knueppel’s talent lets him punish defenses in an instant.
Interestingly, Knueppel has actually been more efficient on the road than at home—shooting 48 percent from deep away from Spectrum Center compared to 38 percent with the home crowd. It’s a testament to the trust Charles Lee has in Knueppel and this team in tough road environments. But if Knueppel wants to lock down both Rookie of the Year and the league lead in made threes, he’ll need to lock in for every remaining game.