Hornets’ Charles Lee reveals why Kon Knueppel deserves Rookie of the Year amid historic season

Kon Knueppel has established himself as one of the NBA’s rising stars during a dominant rookie campaign. The 19-year-old’s impact for the playoff-hopeful Charlotte Hornets has him at the forefront of the Rookie of the Year conversation.

Hornets head coach Charles Lee opened up on why he feels Kneuppel is deserving of the award.

“He’s just found a way to impact winning in so many different ways. He’s elevated our standards. To have a guy come in as young as he is and have an impact at this level consistently every night is really impressive,” Lee said ahead of Tuesday’s matchup with the Brooklyn Nets. “And I think that we’re feeling it defensively, we’re seeing it offensively, where he doesn’t have a crazy usage. He still has other guys out there that he has to play off and play with. But he’s able to be consistent. That’s the part that I think is really impressive. It’s just his willingness to do whatever is needed to impact winning and the consistency behind it. It’s a testament to how he approaches every single day.”

Knueppel has produced at a historic level while leading the Hornets into the play-in picture.

Kon Knueppel emerging as Rookie of the Year favorite amid historic rookie campaign

The rookie wing has averaged 18.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists on .484/.433/.862 shooting splits across 74 appearances. His 222 three-pointers are a single-season rookie NBA record. Meanwhile, he’s converted 56 percent of his two-point attempts while posting a 1.74 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Despite concerns about his athletic profile entering the draft, Kneuppel has held his own defensively. He ranks first in minutes for a Hornets squad that ranks 14th in defensive rating.

“Just toughness, consistency,” Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez said of what stands out about Knueppel. “Obviously, his shooting stands out, but I think overall he’s a very good basketball player. He’s a rookie and he looks like a vet out there the way he presents himself. I was impressed by his pre-draft workout. I’m impressed every time I watch him play. I think his future is very bright in this league.”

Kneuppel is the betting favorite to win Rookie of the Year, holding a slight edge over his former Duke teammate and No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg (+145), per BetMGM.

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