KON Knueppel

Last season Knueppel played 81 games at 31.5 minutes a night. He averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists with 2.0 turnovers. He shot 47.5 percent from the field, 42.5 percent from three and 86.3 percent from the line. His true shooting percentage was 63.3, and his usage rate was 21.6. His plus-minus was 4.0 per game. Those numbers describe an efficient scorer who did not need a heavy workload to produce. The three-point and free-throw percentages matter most for a Charlotte offense that leans on spacing. Those figures are from 2025-26, not the current season. He has not logged a minute yet in 2026-27, so there are no current numbers to update them with.

Knueppel closed his rookie year in steady form. In the April 12 win over the Knicks he put up 14 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists in 31.2 minutes with a plus-minus of 15.0. Two nights earlier, in a loss to Detroit, he had 10 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist in 29.0 minutes. On April 7 against Boston he had 13 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in 35.4 minutes in a loss. The best stretch came in early April. He scored 20 points against Indiana on April 3 and 20 against Phoenix on April 2, both wins. Against Brooklyn on March 31 he had 8 points and 7 rebounds in 24.7 minutes. Charlotte went 6-2 in those eight games where he logged real minutes.

The hamstring issue dates to September 25. The injury report listed him as out that day with a left hamstring injury. Later on September 25 the status changed to day-to-day. On September 27, Scott Fowler's Southeast notes column covered Knueppel along with the Heat, Magic and Hawks. A separate September 25 report said that Knueppel and Williams had sustained hamstring injuries. On October 20 the status changed from day-to-day back to out. The current note says he is doing individual on-court work. That is the usual step before contact practice and then a game return. The estimated return of October 23 is a target, not a guarantee. Hamstring injuries can linger, and the team has already moved his status in both directions once.

Knueppel is 21 years old, listed at 6-6 and 215 pounds. He plays guard and forward and wears number 7. He played college basketball at Duke. He has one season of pro experience, all of it with Charlotte. Last season he was on the Hornets, so the team already knows what he gives them when healthy. His rookie year showed a player who could shoot from three, get to the line and make free throws at a high rate. The 3.4 assists and 2.0 turnovers show a player who handled the ball without giving it away. The next step depends on getting back on the floor. The first order of business is the hamstring.