The 2025 NBA Draft ended and the “young kids” of the college world have been introduced to their future homes. The Charlotte Hornets received a haul of players to help usher the organization into a new era.
After speculation of which direction was best, the Hornets opened Day 1 using the No. 4 pick on Duke G/F Kon Knueppel, a sharpshooter with loads of untapped potential. Charlotte then acquired F Liam McNeeley in a trade with the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Mark Williams.
On Day 2, the Hornets had back-to-back picks at No. 33 and No. 34. With those two picks they fortified their defense, drafting forward Sion James and the four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner.
Knueppel played with a star-studded group that included top overall pick, Cooper Flagg, at Duke. The Hornets’ top pick made his mark with elite shooting and has gained the respect of his draftmates in the process, including James who was also his fellow Blue Devil teammate
“Kon is a great dude, one of my favorite teammates,” James said. ”More than anything, Kon’s a competitor and he’s someone who wants the ball especially when the moments are the biggest. He makes shots, he makes plays for others and he’s gonna make us all better and make us a better organization.”
In Knueppel's only season at Duke, he averaged 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.0 blocks. These numbers sparked major interest on a team that was loaded with collegiate talent. This was also done with less than 10 shot attempts per night. All of Duke’s starting five was drafted with the Hornets getting steals with Knueppel and James.
While James spoke glowingly about his teammate, let’s not forget about the Tulane transfer himself, who is a diamond in the rough. James has his own bag of tricks, they’re just a little different than his counterpart. His area of expertise lies on the defensive side of the ball.
The young Hornet made the All-ACC Defensive team last season and possesses the ability to handle the ball while guarding multiple positions. In his fifth year, James’ stats were down but he has shown the ability to be a double-digit scorer while getting his hands on the ball defensively. Their new head coach Charles Lee was glowing over his players after they came to Charlotte.
“I texted Jeff after the draft saying ‘heck of a job, we just got so much better in a number of ways.” Lee exclaimed, “To have the four-time Big East Defensive Player of the year on our side and having a guy who can anchor our defense and protect the paint and then the versatility of the other three guys to guard multiple positions,”
Lee couldn’t contain his joy talking about the new kids on the block. That new anchor he was glowing about will be a major help to this team, especially after trading away Williams on draft night. Kalkbrenner is a huge get for Charlotte, who ranked 23rd in the NBA for overall defense.
At 7-foot-1, he will annihilate anyone who steps into his space. The defense matches the offense as he has good shooting touch around the rim and some mid-range shooting ability as well. His collegiate awards speak for themselves, one that includes the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award as a sophomore.
Last but certainly not least is the young forward McNeeley. The former UConn standout is going to create matchup problems across the league. When asked about their comfortability with handling the ball, he believes his experience in college prepared for such a thing.
“At UConn, I had to do a lot more than I expected. I had the ball in my hand and was forced to create for myself and others. So that got me outside my comfort zone and that forces you to get better.”
As they gear up for the NBA Summer League, this press conference gave us a small look into what lies ahead for Buzz City and the future looks very bright.