Winning mindset: Knueppel drawing ROY buzz with 2-way play

Cooper Flagg was expected to run away with this season's Rookie of the Year award, but another Duke standout is staking his claim.

Kon Knueppel, the Charlotte Hornets' fourth overall selection in June, began turning heads the following month in Las Vegas as he captured MVP honors while leading Charlotte to the Summer League championship.

The 6-foot-6 wing's strong form carried into the opening month of the regular season. He became the first player in NBA history with 50 threes through their first 15 games and soon after surpassed Hall of Fame center Alonzo Mourning for the most points by a Hornets rookie through 25 appearances. The hot start earned him Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors for November and two nominations for the East's Player of the Week.

Knueppel leads all first-year players in scoring (19 points per game) and is tied for third league-wide in threes made (89) behind only Donovan Mitchell and Stephen Curry. The 20-year-old has shown the poise of a veteran during his brief time in the Association and is breathing new life into the Hornets' locker room.

"He truly has just a winning spirit to him. A winning mindset. Anything that he can do to help impact the game," Charlotte head coach Charles Lee told theScore prior to his team's clash with the Toronto Raptors on Dec. 5.

Knueppel's versatility has bolstered a Hornets squad that finished 29th in offensive efficiency last season. The former Blue Devils star is first and foremost an elite 3-point marksman, knocking down 40.5% of his attempts. He's fourth in the NBA on catch-and-shoot triples (2.6 per contest) and is drilling 49.1% of his pull-up threes.

Knueppel's off-ball movement, in particular, makes him a dangerous threat from beyond the arc. He excels at reading defenses and relocating to open spots. Lee frequently deploys Knueppel in handoffs and creates clean looks for him through off-ball screening actions.

The Wisconsin native has also found a lot of success in pick-and-rolls. As a screener, he keeps the opposition off balance with his ability to pick-and-pop to the 3-point line or slip to the basket. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the only player this season with more points per possession as a roll man than Knueppel.

And when he's handling the rock, Knueppel can pull up from distance when defenders go under screens, set up big men rolling to the basket, or create 3-point opportunities off the drive-and-kick.

Lee is impressed with Knueppel's pick-and-roll growth, especially since it wasn't a huge part of his arsenal until he joined Duke. Charlotte needed his playmaking with Brandon Miller sidelined early on and LaMelo Ball back on the shelf.

"When Melo and Brandon are out there, it's good to have him as your second-side guy who's a great threat to either be able to catch-and-shoot or, if we don't have that initial action to score off, ... he can create one," Lee said. "I think with his ability to screen in a lot of different ways and then also to be able to handle it in the pick-and-roll, it gives us another person we can play through when one of those guys are out.

Lee added: "I think that he's learning a ton. Our group is getting more and more comfortable with him as a pick-and-roll ball-handler, and I look forward to just seeing the evolution because I know he's just gonna keep getting better with more reps."

Furthermore, Knueppel is developing his passing skills as one of the Hornets' primary initiators.

Knueppel's assists are up from his lone collegiate season, and his 15.4% assist percentage ranks in the 78th percentile among wing players, according to Cleaning the Glass. He's dropped at least five dimes on five occasions, including during a pair of nine-assist performances.

However, Knueppel's ability to score and facilitate is drawing more attention from opposing coaches, which has partially contributed to a team-high 61 turnovers. As a result, he's slowly learning to take what defenses give him instead of forcing tough shots.

Knueppel's seven-assist performance versus the Raptors is a great example of his progression as a decision-maker. He exercised patience when probing the lane, waiting until he drew a second defender before feeding teammates Ryan Kalkbrenner and Moussa Diabate for uncontested dunks.

On a two-on-one break, Knueppel avoided an offensive foul in transition, stopping and making the simple pass to KJ Simpson instead of bowling over Raptors guard Jamal Shead. Throughout the game, he dumped off passes to the dunker's spot and repeatedly turned down good shots in favor of better ones for his teammates.

"He's getting a lot more rearview contests and got some of his jumpers in the paint blocked. Just going and watching some film with him, he's made that adjustment quickly," Lee said. "Some delayed reads to the bigs. Also kicking out for shooters. I give his teammates and him credit. We're doing a better job of finding those windows."

Knueppel's displayed the same savviness on the defensive end.

He doesn't have the wingspan or stocks that are associated with a typical defensive stopper but makes up for it by constantly staying one step ahead of his counterparts.

Lee says one of Knueppel's "greatest skills" is his physical frame, which allows him to absorb contact and prevent his man from penetrating the defense further. Opposing players simply can't brush him aside, and it's something he takes great pride in.

Knueppel made several defensive plays in that mold against the Raptors. The rising star switched onto Collin Murray-Boyles and stopped the 245-pound forward in his tracks on a drive attempt. He forced Immanuel Quickley to settle for a fadeaway jumper at the third-quarter buzzer after thwarting a pair of attacks at the rim.

During a transition sequence, Knueppel read Ja'Kobe Walter so well that the latter tripped over his own feet and traveled because the Hornets wing correctly anticipated the direction he was heading.

And when Knueppel does get beaten off the bounce, he uses his body to make the shot as difficult as possible.

Knueppel's combination of physicality and high basketball IQ has him atop the team leaderboard in deflections (50) and loose balls recovered (20). He's contested the fourth-most shots (131) as well.

"He's really locked in and focused on tendencies," Lee said. "So, where he may gave up some size or some athleticism, he's really smart and knows (driving) angles, tendencies, and how to beat you to a spot.

Lee added: "He's just got great activity and instincts. He wants to be all over the place. He understands the importance of trying to disrupt the other team any way he possibly can."

It's hard to imagine a better start to Knueppel's career.

He's flirting with the 50/40/90 club, on pace to shatter Keegan Murray's single-season 3-point rookie record, and bringing a refreshing defensive approach to the Hornets.

Charlotte's a long way from title contention, but Knueppel is the type of culture-changer every rebuilding team needs.

"He understands what he brings offensively, but he understands you've gotta be good on both ends of the floor in order to win games at any level, especially at the elite level of the NBA," Lee said.