ORLANDO, Fla. — Charlotte Hornets coach Charles Lee said X-rays were negative on the right ankle injury sustained by rookie Kon Knueppel in a 120-105 win over the Orlando Magic on Friday.
Knueppel sustained the injury just before halftime, when he appeared to roll his right ankle in the paint defending a layup attempt by Desmond Bane. He required assistance off the court to the locker room and was ruled out of returning to the game.
The fourth pick finished with 16 points, three rebounds and one assist in 15 minutes, 13 minutes of action. He remained in the locker room for the duration of the game, but he was able to greet and congratulate the team after pulling out the win.
“(It) sounds like X-rays were negative,” Lee said. “We’ll get more information as we get back to Charlotte, but I love what he gave our group, and we needed all 16 of those points before he exited the game.”
Knueppel entered the contest on Friday, averaging 19.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 41.9% from 3-point range with the Hornets. He is second in rookie scoring and is one of two first-year players with three 30-point performances.
The 20-year-old on Monday became the fastest player in history to reach 100 career 3-pointers, doing so in 29 total games. He is currently on pace to shatter the rookie record for a season, set by Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray in 2022-23 (206).
Knueppel was the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in October and November. He currently has the second-best odds (plus-450) to win Rookie of the Year, trailing only Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (minus-550).