CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - The Charlotte Hornets needed a little extra room at the table after the 2025 NBA Draft.
That’s because for the first time in franchise history, the team introduced four players drafted to the Queen City.
Kon Knueppel (No. 4 overall), Liam McNeeley (No. 29), Sion James (No. 33) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (No. 34) all held up their new team’s jerseys after their press conference with the media Friday afternoon in South End.
Each player bring a unique skillset that the team hopes will help improve on last year’s 63-loss campaign.
The common denominator, especially in the first three selections, is shooting ability.
Knueppel was heralded as the best 3-point shooter in this draft, while McNeeley and James have both also shown some prowess beyond the arc as well.
Head coach Charles Lee says that opens up a lot offensively for this team.
“It’s extremely exciting,” Lee said. “We just got so much better in a lot of different ways... we’re adding some shooting, we’re adding some IQ... the playbook gets to really expand as they continue to grow.”
Lee also noted one other key attribute this team sees in all four draftees.
“The biggest thing they’re going to add to our group immediately is competitiveness,” Lee said. “The hard work, understanding that nothing is going to be given to them from day one. They are going to have to earn it, they are going to have to work hard. They’re committed to that.”
Knueppel and James come from Duke, while McNeeley and Kalkbrenner played at UConn and Creighton, respectively.
All four prospects come from heralded college programs with long track records of success.
That success won’t come as easily in Charlotte, where the Hornets haven’t posted a winning season since 2021-22, and haven’t reached the playoffs since 2016.
These players are eager to help contribute to a new culture of winning in Buzz City.
“They (Lee and VP of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson) have made it known they want to change the culture around here,” Knueppel said. “It’s going to take some time, but we’re all here and bought in to doing that.”
Hornets fans will see all four draftees in the NBA Summer League next month in Las Vegas.
Charlotte will play on July 11 against Utah, July 12 against Philadelphia, July 14 against Dallas and then July 17 against San Antonio.
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