INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel reached yet another milestone in a remarkable rookie season for the No. 4 overall pick from Duke.
The Hornets swingman broke Keegan Murray’s NBA rookie record for 3-pointers, making his 207th Thursday night against the Indiana Pacers. Knueppel connected on five 3s in the first half and then broke the record in the third quarter off an assist from Sion James, his former college teammate.
Knueppel finished with 28 points and shot 8 of 12 beyond the arc as the Hornets throttled the Pacers 133-109. He leads the NBA with 209 3s.
“It’s really just about making the right basketball play,” Knueppel said. “My teammates are setting good screens and setting me up in good spots. The coaches as well. I’m just out there looking to make the right play for my team.”
It took Murray 80 games in 2022-23 to establish the record — and Knueppel just 59 to surpass it. He said he did not realize the magnitude of the shot that set the mark.
“Honestly, I thought I needed seven,” Knueppel said.
Golden State’s Stephen Curry holds the single-season NBA record with 402 3s.
Knueppel is shooting 44.2% from 3-point range, making him a contender for NBA Rookie of the Year along with his former college teammate and roommate Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick of the Dallas Mavericks. He has also helped propel the long-suffering Hornets into playoff contention with 22 games left.
Charlotte has not made the playoffs since the 2015-16 season.
“It’s what elevates our whole culture when you have a guy that’s that good, but that humble, no ego — it becomes contagious throughout your whole organization,” Hornets coach Charles Lee told CGTN Sports Scene after Knueppel eclipsed 200 3s on Tuesday night.
Knueppel has been a perfect fit in second-year coach Lee’s offense alongside playmaker LaMelo Ball, using his basketball IQ to find open spots on the floor — a skill he attributes to playing in his father’s men’s league against taller competition beginning as an eighth grader growing up in Milwaukee.
Knueppel has thrived as a catch-and-shoot player with 93% of his 3s this season coming off assists entering Thursday night, according to Cleaning the Glass.
He has turned heads across the league with his shooting percentage.
Curry, the NBA’s career leader in 3s, made 166 on 380 attempts (43.7%) as a rookie in with the Warriors in 80 games in 2009-10. Knueppel has attempted 473 3s this season.
“He can obviously shoot the ball at a high level,” Curry said after a recent game against the Hornets. “You can’t really leave him open at all as he has such a quick release and shoots with confidence. And his playmaking is very underrated. His game just suits the NBA style, whether it’s fast-paced or a slowed-down possession game.”
Knueppel surpassed Donovan Mitchell, who is third on the list of 3s by a rookie, in a loss to the Cavaliers on Feb. 20.
Mitchell joked that he heard about it after the game from Cavs teammate Tyrese Proctor, who played with Knueppel at Duke.
“He’s talented,” Mitchell said of Knueppel. “For him to be a rookie and be able to go out there and make it look effortless. … We know he can shoot the ball, right? But I think him getting to the midrange and play develop in the small pick-and-roll that is something I think is really unique about his game is being able to do that and create advantages for himself.”
Mitchell added, “It’s going to be interesting with him and Coop for rookie of the year.”
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Reed reported from Charlotte, North Carolina.
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