Former Duke Blue Devils have been dominating amongst this year's NBA rookie class, and Kon Knueppel has been at the top of that list. Since being selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Knueppel has undoubtedly been one of the best rookies in the NBA this season, and his recent scoring production proves he's heating up the Rookie of the Year race. All five of Duke's 2024–25 starters were taken in the 2025 draft, but Knueppel likely entered the best situation to succeed, and through just 26 games, he's already establishing himself as Charlotte's franchise cornerstone.
On the season, Knueppel is averaging 19.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists a game on 47.2% shooting from the field and 40.5% shooting from three on 8.5 attempts. The Wisconsin native has tallied 20 points or more in four of his last seven games, including a career-high 33 in a 129-126 loss to the Chicago Bulls on December 12th. Knueppel leads all rookies in points per game and three-pointers made. He's knocked down 89 threes so far, and the next rookie on that list is VJ Edgecombe, who's hit 45.
Insane stat shows Kon Knueppel is a real contender for the NBA Rookie of the Year award
Knueppel has been lighting up the box score through the entirety of his rookie campaign, but this stat proves just how far and away his production has been from anyone else. The 6'6" wing has totaled seven games of 25 points or more in the scoring column, which is more than every other rookie combined.
Most 25+ point game among rookie guards:
— The Lead (@TheLeadSM) December 14, 2025
7 - Kon Knueppel
2 - VJ Edgecombe
1 - Ryan Nembhard
1 - Caleb Love
1 - Will Richard
1 - Cedric Coward
He has more 25-point games than all other rookie guards combined 🤯 pic.twitter.com/txca2ZIouX
Knueppel hasn't been shy to break records, despite being less than 30 games through his professional career. The sharpshooter set a new NBA record with 16 made threes through his first four career games.
The Hornets currently sit at 8-18 on the season, good for 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings. However, in a wide-open East, Charlotte could make a push for the Play-In Tournament once its roster gets fully healthy.
According to FanDuel, Knueppel is second in line for the Rookie of the Year award with +160 odds. Fellow Blue Devil Cooper Flagg leads the race with -160 odds.