Jan. 19, 2026, 1:26 p.m. ET
Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel registered another double-digit-scoring effort and made some history in the process on Sunday in a dominating win over the Denver Nuggets.
Knueppel produced 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and one blocked shot in the 110-87 wire-to-wire victory on the road at Ball Arena. He finished by shooting 5-of-11 from the field, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range, in 26 minutes, 40 seconds of action.
The fourth pick reached 800 points this season with the performance, becoming the fastest player in franchise history to reach that mark (42 games). He is the fourth-fastest player to cross that threshold since 2020, behind only Zion Williamson, Paolo Banchero and Victor Wembanyama.
Knueppel is averaging 19 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 43.5% from 3-point range with the Hornets. He currently leads the rookie class in scoring and is one of two first-year players with three 30-point performances.
The 20-year-old last month became the fastest player in history to reach 100 career 3-pointers, doing so in 29 total games. With 143 triples, he is currently on pace to shatter the rookie record for a season, set by Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray in 2022-23 (206).
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Knueppel has emerged as one of the top first-year players after an impressive start with the Hornets. He has played a crucial role for coach Charles Lee and is a key reason the team sits only 3 1/2 games out of the play-in tournament group.