Kon Knueppel is right back on the shelf after lasting just six minutes in his season debut.
The promising 21-year-old Hornets wing, who finished second in the NBA Rookie of the Year voting last season, missed the first eight games of the season with a left hamstring injury, and he appeared to aggravate that issue during a loss to the Nets on Wednesday night in Brooklyn, Charlotte’s fifth straight defeat.
The Hornets (3-6) attributed Knueppel’s exit to “soreness in his left leg” and head coach Charles Lee did not have an update after the game.
He finished with three points, all coming on free throws, and two turnovers.
If Knueppel is going to miss more time, it’s a tough blow for a Hornets team that was one of the biggest surprises last season, going 44-38 a year after finishing 19-63.
Charlotte selected Knueppel No. 4 overall out of Duke in the 2025 NBA Draft, and he finished his rookie season with averages of 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 47.5 percent from the field, including an impressive 42.5 percent from 3-point range on 7.9 attempts per game.
The Hornets decided to shift course despite their strong 2025-26 campaign, sending LaMelo Ball to the Timberwolves as part of a four-team trade that saw Charlotte acquire big man Naz Reid (a former NBA Sixth Man of the Year), along with an unprotected 2033 first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps and three second-round picks.
Reid has been off to a strong start, averaging 16.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, but the Hornets have hit a five-game skid after starting the season 3-1.
Brandon Miller, the No. 2 overall pick out of Alabama in 2023, is leading the Hornets in scoring at 22 points per game after averaging 20.2 points in 65 games last season.
But without Knueppel, the Hornets will have a hard time snapping their decade-long playoff drought.
