Scott Fowler: Kon artistry: Knueppel has become a rookie star for Hornets

Scott Fowler, The Charlotte Observer on Feb 13, 2026

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The respect that Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel has already earned throughout the league was symbolized in one anecdote and one quarter Wednesday night.

Before the Hornets edged Atlanta, 110-107, at home in their last game before the NBA All-Star break, I asked Atlanta coach Quin Snyder what sort of impact he thought Knueppel had made on the Hornets so far.

Snyder responded with a story. The coach noted that ESPN analyst Tim Legler had put together a segment recently that showed the mechanics of how Knueppel got open — the relentless movement, the clever use of screens, the ability to make exactly the right play. Atlanta’s coaches liked the Legler tape of Knueppel so much that they edited the tape a little more, then showed it to their own players.

Said Snyder: “I bring that up because it seems like such a little thing to some people. But it’s reflective of the feel that (Knueppel) has for the game. … He’s a guy that you can clearly see his teammates like playing with … a terrific young player.”

It reminded me of how opposing NFL coaches would sometimes talk about Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, and how they would run tape of him to their own players in hopes they would pick up some of Kuechly’s pre-snap diagnosis skills.

For all that, the “Knueppel edit” didn’t do much good. The Hawks still couldn’t keep up with the rookie early before a crowd of 18,710 in the Spectrum Center. In a first quarter that set the tone for most of the game, Knueppel quickly wiggled his way free to four three-point shots — and made all four.

Those 12 quick points by Knueppel changed the contest. The Hawks started sticking to Knueppel wherever he went, acting like he was Steph Curry or something. Knueppel responded by throwing it to the open man, again and again. Several other players stepped up then and the Hornets ended up with a victory — the 10th in their last 11 games.

After going 13-4 in the past month, Charlotte is now 26-29 and will enter the All-Star break in ninth place in the Eastern Conference. With a third of the season to go, the Hornets are already inside the “play-in” bubble and have a shot to finish in the top six and in the actual playoffs for the first time since 2016.

This was Charlotte’s first game without starters Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate — suspended for four games apiece for their role in the sprawling brawl with the Detroit Pistons on Monday. Their absence was far from ideal, but the Hornets made it work. Brandon Miller (a game-high 31 points and a couple of thunderous dunks), LaMelo Ball (24 points) and Knueppel (18 points, six rebounds, four assists) gave the Hornets their Big Three for the night, while bench players like PJ Hall (11 points, 10 rebounds) made admirable contributions.

Charlotte nearly frittered it all away at the end, as what was a 19-point lead midway through the third quarter evaporated to one point in the final seconds.

The score was 108-107, Charlotte, with 19.4 seconds left when Knueppel got fouled. He calmly drained two free throws — he’s a 90% free-throw shooter. And that would be the final margin, as Atlanta missed two tough 3-pointers on the final possession, and Charlotte survived.

Knueppel liked the win, but was far from pleased with his individual performance.

”I thought today some of my intermediate reads weren’t very great and some of my mid-range shots didn’t fall,” Knueppel said. “Just didn’t shoot it great in those areas tonight, and some of my rim decisions were a little funky.”

While most of the Hornets are about to have an extended break, Knueppel won’t. He’s headed to All-Star weekend, where he will be involved in three separate events. The NBA world is learning a lot about Knueppel. Duke fans already knew, of course, but even then he was largely overshadowed by Cooper Flagg.

Now Knueppel is battling Flagg for NBA Rookie of the Year. And, more importantly to him, his team is finally playing well. For a player used to winning, the Hornets’ difficult start this season obviously wore on Knueppel. What has changed?

“I really think just defensively, our attention to detail and our competitiveness on that end,” Knueppel said. “We’re a pretty good offensive team. … But I think the biggest reason is just our change of mindset a little bit on the defensive end.”