Kon Knueppel #7 of the Charlotte Hornets dribbles the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on October 25, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Hornets 125-121. Mitchell Leff Getty Images
In the unlikely case of nerves getting to Kon Knueppel during his first appearance in his hometown as a pro, Charles Lee offered up a little advice.
Leading into Friday night’s Emirates NBA Cup Group C matchup in Milwaukee, the Charlotte Hornets coach wanted to ensure his rookie wouldn’t get too caught up in the moment and become overly affected.
“He’s interesting when it comes to emotion because he is just so locked in and steady,” Lee said. “He doesn’t get too high; he doesn’t get too low. I actually was in the elevator with him and I said, ‘This will be fun for you to have all these people here, but be able to harness those emotions, I don’t worry about you feeling too overwhelmed or thinking that you have to be extraordinary or do something outside of yourself.
“He kind of is always the most consistent person I’ve seen.”
Unflappable as usual, Knueppel pumped in a career-best 32 points and hit a critical game-tying 3-pointer with 21.1 seconds remaining in regulation, but the Hornets lost to the Bucks 147-134 in overtime at Fiserv Forum.
“It’s special,” Knueppel said. “Coming back here and getting that kind of love is cool. I wish we had the win. It would have made it a little cooler, but hard-fought game.”
He added: “Obviously, I was excited, I was pretty jacked to play the game. But I tried as much as I could to treat it like a normal game. … You just want to do something for the team, and it came in the form of making shots tonight.”
Knueppel’s hometown debut as a pro came on the same night Hornets star guard LaMelo Ball returned to action after missing the previous five games nursing right ankle impingement. Back in the starting lineup, working out the rust following a nearly two-week absence, he was on a minutes restriction that kept him out of the extra five-minute session.
Ball poured in 16 points, handed out 10 assists and collected three rebounds in 27 minutes. He made 5 of 15 shots, went 2 for 6 beyond the 3-point arc, and sank all but one of four free throws — with the critical miss coming with the Hornets trailing by two with 40.7 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
“Just trying to, again, be mindful of where his minutes are going forward,” Lee said. “I think the plan that they put in place, let’s kind of keep him in a spot that’s going to maximize how many games he will be available for going forward.
“And so we had a little bit of a minute restriction (Friday) and we’ll see how we keep building on as the season goes on.”
Although the final result mirrored what’s happened in seven of the past 10 games, having Ball available again can aid in the Hornets unlocking certain aspects that just aren’t the same when the 6-foot-7 playmaker isn’t in uniform.
“Two things,” Lee said. “No. 1, offensively his talent, his creativity, his instincts, the gravity. A lot of teams obviously try to face guard him and shift off of him. And so it allows other guys to drive and maybe get a piece of the paint. In the pick-and-roll situation, he does a good job of scoring for himself but also be able to kick out to some guys, and allow them to get some catch-and-shoot threes.
“And then I think his spirit. His competitive spirit on both ends of the floor, when he’s engaged, it becomes contagious with our group. And I’ve seen a lot more vocal leadership from him, which has been really helpful. So … (it’s) nice to get that back in our lineup.”
Ball’s return couldn’t spur the Hornets (4-8) to a rare NBA Cup victory.
Charlotte fell to 0-2 in group play and will need a blistering effort in its final two games of the opening round — versus New York on Nov. 26 and against Chicago on Nov. 28 — to have a semblance of a chance to advance to the quarterfinals.
With Ball out and Brandon Miller still rehabilitating his shoulder injury, Knueppel has taken on more of the scoring burden. He averaged 16.6 points to go with 6.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists heading into their loss against the Bucks.
Knueppel entered the night pacing rookies in made 3-pointers (35) and tied for 10th in the league in total 3-pointers. He’s hit more shots beyond the arc through 11 games than any player in NBA history.
Kon Knueppel (7) of the Charlotte Hornets drives by AJ Green of the Milwaukee Bucks during the first half at Spectrum Center on Nov. 12, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. David Jensen Getty Images
Overall, he’s left Lee and the staff pleased.
“Lots of aspects have stood out,” Lee said. “I credit our front office for being able to identify who he is as a person, who he is as a player, first and foremost. He’s elevated our culture with his personality, his work ethic, his selflessness. And then on the court, I think that we just see a guy that’s ultra-competitive on every possession. I’ve loved his defensive instincts and competitiveness, really. I think he does a good job of knowing what tendencies are. He’s always prepared in terms of knowing what the game plan is. You can trust him to be able to execute a game plan.
“And then offensively, he’s a jack of all trades. I think most people knew he could shoot or thought he’d just be a shooter. But he’s more than that to us, and he’s kind of been able to show it, too. I think the shooting maybe unlocks everything else for him to be able to put it on the floor, make the right rim reads, and be able to get into the paint at times, which has been impressive, too.”
As was something else: Knueppel’s family invited the team over for dinner after its arrival in town Thursday. Lee was appreciative of the low-key chance for everyone to break bread together in an environment and setting that’s familiar to Knueppel.
“It means a lot to me, it means a lot to his teammates,” Lee said. “We are all about togetherness, and family, and The Hive, and everyone matters and everything matters to us. And so that type of gesture from him and his family is huge.
“Once again, it’s another way in which he’s enhanced our culture, bringing people together on and off the court. And so I love that they had that type of moment. I was a little salty I didn’t get the invite.”
Up next
Following their mini one-game trip, the Hornets return home to host NBA defending champion Oklahoma City at Spectrum Center on Saturday on the tail end of a tough back-to-back. Tipoff is scheduled for just after 6 p.m.