Jordi Fernández has spent most of this season talking about the Nets’ own rookies, their growing pains, their flashes, their timelines. Ahead of Tuesday night’s matchup with the Charlotte Hornets at Barclays Center, he took a detour and pointed across the floor.

Kon Knueppel has earned that. Through the first 74 games of his NBA career, the 19-year-old fourth overall pick has averaged 18.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 48.4% from the field and 43.3% from 3-point range.

Fernández described him as a real problem on the court, playing at a level well beyond his years.

“Yeah, just toughness, consistency,” Fernández said. “Obviously, his shooting stands out, but I think overall a very good basketball player. And he’s a rookie and he looks like a vet out there the way he presents himself. I was impressed by his draft workout. I’m impressed every time I watch him play. I think his future is very bright in this league.”

The shooting is the entry point, because it’s historic. Knueppel has already set the all-time rookie record for most 3-pointers made with 257 as of Tuesday, blowing past Keegan Murray’s previous mark of 206. He’s also become the youngest player in league history to eclipse 250 3s in a single season, and he did it at a video game place. He hit 50 3s in 15 games, 100 in 29 games and 200 in 58 games. He also posted the most 3s by any player in his first 17 career contests with 63.

But what has separated his rookie year isn’t just the volume. It’s the efficiency. Knueppel owns the record for most games by a rookie with 20-plus points and a true shooting percentage of 65% or higher, a detail that captures how rare it is to carry real scoring volume without living on bad shots.

That’s where Fernández kept steering the conversation. Toward the stuff that holds up even when the shots don’t fall, and toward the way Knueppel carries himself within possessions.

Asked if Knueppel reminds him of any current or former NBA player, Fernández didn’t take the easy comp. He framed it as a compliment in a different direction, as a player already sturdy enough to stand on his own profile.

“It’s a good question and I’m pretty sure that he may remind a lot of people of different players,” Fernández said. “But I think Kon’s got to be himself, and that’s why he’s made the impact he’s made in his first year, the amount of shots he’s made.”

The Nets are living in the development stage, and Fernández has been clear all year that the gap between talent and impact is usually filled by habits. Consistency. Physicality. A feel for what matters on a nightly basis. Knueppel, in Fernández’s view, has checked those boxes early.

“You can tell his passion for the game and how serious he is about business and even how he made it from college and so forth,” Fernández said. “So Kon’s going to be Kon, and I think he is very good at doing that.”