On Thursday, Kon Knueppel secured a significant milestone in his pursuit of the Rookie of the Year title.
During the Charlotte Hornets’ 127-107 victory against the Phoenix Suns, the team’s guard surpassed Kemba Walker’s franchise benchmark for three-pointers made in a single season. His current season count now stands at 261, exceeding Walker’s 260 from the 2018-19 season by a single shot.
Knueppel concluded the game contributing 20 points, achieved by making 7 out of 14 field goal attempts, including 4 out of 9 from beyond the arc, alongside gathering 3 rebounds and dishing out 2 assists.
Selected as the fourth overall choice in the 2025 NBA Draft, Knueppel has emerged as the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, attributed to his steady offensive output for the Hornets throughout the current campaign. The team currently holds a 40-36 record, contending for a postseason appearance for the first time since the 2015-16 season. Heading into Thursday, his favored status on BetMGM was set at -275, significantly surpassing the +200 odds for his former Duke colleague, Cooper Flagg, who held the next most favorable position.
This 20-year-old athlete has already established a new NBA benchmark for three-point field goals scored by a first-year player, having surpassed Keegan Murray’s previous record set in February. He is currently on track to achieve one of the most exceptional shooting performances in league history, not merely confined to first-year players or those representing the Hornets.
Considering the Hornets have five contests left in their schedule, and Knueppel maintains an average of 3.4 successful three-point attempts per game, he is projected to conclude the season with a grand total of 277. This accomplishment would place him 20th all-time in NBA history, with only nine other distinct athletes having achieved a higher count in a single season: Stephen Curry, James Harden, Anthony Edwards, Malik Beasley, Klay Thompson, Paul George, Buddy Hield, Luka Dončić, and Donte DiVincenzo.
