Kon Knueppel added a major achievement to his Rookie of the Year campaign on Thursday.
The Charlotte Hornets guard broke Kemba Walker’s single-season franchise record in 3-pointers in a 127-107 win over the Phoenix Suns. His season total is up to 261, one ahead of Walker’s 260 in 2018-19.
Advertisement
Knueppel finished with 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting (4-of-9 from deep) with 3 rebounds and 2 assists.
The fourth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Knueppel has risen to Rookie of the Year favorite with consistent scoring throughout the season for the Hornets, who are now 40-36 and competing for their first playoff berth since 2015-16. He entered Thursday favored at -275 on BetMGM, well ahead of former Duke teammate Cooper Flagg’s next-best odds at +200.
The 20-year-old already has the NBA record for 3-pointers made by a rookie, having overtaken the mark set by Keegan Murray back in February. He’s on pace to have one of the best shooting seasons ever, and not just by a rookie or Hornet.
Advertisement
With five games remaining on the Hornets’ schedule and Knueppel making 3.4 3-pointers per game, he’s on pace to finish the season with 277 total. That would be 20th-most in the history of the NBA, and only nine individual players have posted more in a season: Stephen Curry, James Harden, Anthony Edwards, Malik Beasley, Klay Thompson, Paul George, Buddy Hield, Luka Dončić and Donte DiVincenzo.