Kon Knueppel meets the media after being drafted by Charlotte Hornets. Photo courtesy Charlotte Hornets
Sharply dressed in a dapper black suit with a matching black button-down shirt, the fourth overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft sat down on a plush couch inside Lowe’s Tech Hub and could mentally exhale for just a split second.
Not too long, though, because more obligations awaited, including a trip to Trolley Barn for an autograph session to mingle with well-wishers of the Charlotte Hornets welcoming the team’s latest crop of draftees.
Kon Knueppel was still soaking it in, relishing a journey that is sort of only beginning in a sense after joining the Hornets.
“Yeah, yeah it’s great,” Knueppel said Friday in a quiet moment after the Hornets’ introductory news conference. “The NBA draft is stressful. It wasn’t that stressful because you knew your name was going to be called, but you don’t know which team.
“But it’s great to be in an area I’m somewhat familiar with.”
The 19-year-old believes that will be truly beneficial.
“I think it’s great,” Knueppel said. “Being in an area that the fans are familiar with you is special. Not everybody gets that and that support is going to be really, really nice to have.”
During Knueppel’s early evolution, he’ll also have something else that should help him out: Seeing fellow Duke product Sion James get drafted in Thursday’s second round. Add in Creighton big man Ryan Kalkbrenner and first-rounder Liam McNeeley from Connecticut, and Kueppel has several others who’ll be going through the same growing pains.
He’s motivated to prove his worth to the detractors, those who suggest he should have gone a little bit lower in the draft, deeming him unworthy of landing in the top four. In his mind, he’s that guy and no one can tell him otherwise.
“I’m going to come in,” Knueppel said, “and I’m going to work my butt off each day, and I’m going to get better each day. That’s most important and it’s nice to know where you are going so you can focus on the basketball and not all that other crap.
“There’s been a lot of focusing on other crap. But now getting here and focusing on hoops, getting better, just kind of ignore what people say. But you can’t. It’s impossible to avoid all that, so having that in the back of your mind as a little extra motivation is good.”
The Observer sat down with the Hornets’ prized pick to get his take on changing how the franchise is viewed, playing alongside LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, what going up against Cooper Flagg in practice did to his confidence and more:
Roderick Boone: How much do you want to change the perception of the franchise nationally?
Kon Knueppel: I think we’ve got a new base. Obviously I think we are getting the right people in the building, which is going to be really, really important.
I think coach (Charles) Lee and (president of basketball operations) Jeff Peterson are great people, and the guys here, the rookies that I’ve talked to, the guys that have texted me, we are ready to compete, play hard and have a bit of a different edge than maybe what’s talked about nationally with the Hornets.
The Charlotte Hornets 2025 draft class posses alongside coach Charles Lee (left) and president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson. Photo courtesy Charlotte Hornets
RB: How do you go about doing that?
KK: I think the attitude has got to be all about winning. It can’t be about individual statistics or whatever. It’s got to be about the right stuff, about winning games. And that buy-in and togetherness has got to be there.
RB: What are your thoughts on Coach Lee and what did he tell you about what he expects and wants to see out of you?
KK: It’s tough because they don’t want to do that right away in those meetings because they don’t want to give anything to you, you know what I mean? But obviously it’s more about the intangibles and the skills.
They know I’m skilled, they know I can shoot, they know I can pass, shoot and dribble. But it’s the things that I bring in other areas — the IQ, the intensity and the willingness to do whatever it takes to win. Those are the things that are going to be important.
RB: Is there a part of you envisioning being on the floor with LaMelo, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges and being open where you can just let it fly?
KK: Yeah, definitely. You start to think about those things. I can’t wait to get on the court, and start working with them and what role I can carve out for myself. But I feel really good about my ability to play with those guys and fit with those guys.
RB: An NBA scout said you are the best shooter in this draft class. When you hear that, how much do you want to go out there and prove it and show you’ll be a threat for years to come?
KK: I feel that way. Being able to let the thing fly, that’s a huge, huge part of my game. And not just shooting the shot, but using it to create space for my teammates or using a shot fake to create a different shot for myself or a drive to kick.
So, just playing off that because that’s going to be a huge weapon for me.
RB: What position and where on the court are you most comfortable?
KK: Probably ‘2’ or ‘3.’ Like we saw at Duke this year in ball screen situations. Obviously, I’m probably not going to play in as much of those as I did last year. But I think that can be a good spot for me as well.
But most comfortable (playing) ‘2’ or ‘3,’ spacing the floor, creating off of closeouts, creating opportunities for my teammates.
RB: How did playing against Cooper Flagg help make you better and aid in becoming the player you want to be?
KK: He’s a really, really good player. So, it was tough to go up against him. It was tough to battle, but also gave you confidence to go out there because you are like, ‘Man, I can do stuff against him?’ Or there would be days when I’m the best player out there to where you feel confident like, ‘Man, he’s the best player in the country and today I was better than him.’
So, it gives you that sort of confidence. But he’s made me such a better basketball player, just the ability to think the game. That and playing with him has really elevated my career.
RB: What was it like to see Sion just before the press conference and reuniting?
KK: It’s nice to have somebody that you are really, really close with for this transition period. It’s tough to be a rookie in the NBA and having somebody like that that you are really close with is invaluable.
RB: How much do you want to showcase that you can be a two-way player and flourish on both ends of the court?
KK: Yeah, I think that’s something Coach Lee talked about with me, is that he thinks I’m a good defender and he thinks I give great effort on that end. And he wants me to be confident on that end.
So, it’s something that I’m going to keep working on. I think it’s going to be a great part of my game.