Former Duke star Kon Knueppel has exceeded all reasonable expectations for his rookie season with the Charlotte Hornets. Last season's No. 4 overall pick has overtaken the No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg as the new favorite to win the NBA's Rookie of the Year.
Part of that has been due to Flagg's recent injury, but it also has a lot to do with just how special of a season Knueppel is having in Charlotte.
He's a big reason that the Hornets have battled back from a rough start to the season to now .500 at 31-31. They seem to be a shoo-in to make the NBA's play-in tournament, and suddenly the young core of Knueppel, LaMelo Ball, and Brandon Miller looks potent.
Knueppel has already set the NBA record for most three-pointers made by a rookie, and he's averaging 19.2 points per game while not being far off from a 50/40/90 season. He's at 48.8% from the field, 43.5% from three, and 87% from the free throw line.
But perhaps the best indication of Knueppel making it as a pro is Bill Simmons spending time on his show coming up with nickname ideas for the Duke product. Most aren't very good, but one in particular might stick:
Does Kon Knueppel need a nickname? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/QN4AuaVPAd
— The Ringer (@ringer) March 4, 2026
Kon Knueppel might have a new nickname, courtesy of Bill Simmons
Simmons correctly points out that when your name is "Kon", you don't really need a nickname. But he still threw out a few suggestions.
Kon Snow
DefKon 3 or DefKon 7
Kon Air
None of those works great. But then Simmons shared the suggestion of "2K" to play off of the NBA's flagship video game franchise and Knueppel's initials.
Hornets fans have already taken to calling him "K2", but flipping that just makes a lot more sense.
We'll see if "2K" sticks, though most will probably stick to calling him Kon.