A Duke player is going to win the NBA's Rookie of the Year Award.
That was always assumed to be Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick. But Kon Knueppel is having a lot to say about that, and the former Blue Devil sharp-shooter could ultimately overtake Flagg.
And that's not a knock on Flagg, who has had a tremendous season for the Dallas Mavericks. But what Knueppel is doing is historic. His performance Tuesday night in Charlotte's blowout win over the Bulls lifted him to the No. 1 spot on NBA.com's Rookie Ladder.
Knueppel scored 21 points and connected on 3-of-6 from three-point range. Those three threes lifted him past 200 makes from distance this season.
Knueppel is the fastest player in NBA history to reach 200 career made threes. By 11 entire games:
Kon can't miss from deep ☄️
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) February 25, 2026
Knueppel has made 200 career 3-pointers 11 games faster than anyone else 🥶 pic.twitter.com/eKWLZXX91f
Kon Knueppel is the fastest player in NBA history to 200 made 3-pointers by a wide margin
Knueppel has exceeded all expectations in his rookie season with the Hornets after being drafted 4th overall last summer. He's already separated himself as one of the best shooters in the NBA. Along with the volume, Knueppel has been efficient, hitting 43.6% from long-range.
Knueppel is second among NBA rookies in points per game at 19.4, behind only Flagg. His immediate emergence has accelerated the rebuild in Charlotte. Along with Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball, the Hornets suddenly have one of the best young trios in the league.
At 28-31, the Hornets sit in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, which has them currently in the play-in, 1.5 games clear of 11th place. The 28 wins are already more than Charlotte had won in any of the past three seasons.
Kuneppel's ceiling is ridiculously high. It's rare for a rookie to be as efficient as he has been in his first season in the NBA, and he's just scratching the surface of what he can become.