Kon Knueppel details his whirlwind month, which saw him win Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month and appear on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Knueppel admits to being nervous about the late-night appearance but calls being on the show a "cool experience." He stresses the need for the team to stick to their habits and "get better as a collective unit." By DIAMOND VENCES
If there was any doubt, the scene on the Charlotte Hornets’ bench 90 minutes before the opening tip was thrown in the air squashed it, providing insight even before the official word was handed down.
After missing the initial two games of the Hornets’ road trip in New York, mostly because the team’s performance staff thought resting his left shoulder was a good idea, Brandon Miller worked up a serious lather, getting into form for his first action in nearly a week.
“Yeah, it’s always great when you can add a player of Brandon’s caliber,” coach Charles Lee said. “I think that his overall just competitiveness, his overall talent, athleticism and length, it helps you defensively, his activity. I mean, he’s kind of all over the place.”
The Hornets’ third-year swingman was back, making the Hornets’ starting lineup whole again. Well, for about a half anyway.
Instead of feeling good about getting one of their best players back, the Hornets are in familiar territory once more. And not the good kind. Chalk it up to star guard LaMelo Ball exiting the game early in the second half of the Hornets’ 111-86 win over the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on Friday night.
The play Ball was injured on looked extremely innocent. He slipped early in the third quarter getting back in transition, sprawling out on the court after seemingly slipping. He rose to his feet and appeared to be fine, but it wasn’t long before he strolled to the bench, checking out of the action with only 1:51 having elapsed in the half.
LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets looks on during the second half of the basketball game against the Orlando Magic at Spectrum Center on October 30, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. David Jensen Getty Images
Upon informing Pat Chasse, the Hornets’ vice president of medical and performance, what the issue was, Ball walked back to the visiting locker room with him, ending Ball’s night prematurely and evoking more thoughts of “Groundhog Day” thanks to the ended list of injuries for the Hornets (6-17).
Still, having Miller in the fold provided a modicum of positivity for a team in dire need of some. Miller posted 12 points and fought through some rust, canning 5 of 14 attempts.
“He allows us to have another primary defender on some of their primary ball-handlers that I think are some of their best creators,” Lee said. “And then offensively, he gives us another weapon when we’re trying to play with pace, we’re trying to pass the ball ahead, or across his ability to get to the paint and make plays, his basketball IQ.”
Yeah, that’s good and all. But what exactly do the Hornets miss when Miller is absent from the floor, the way he had been during the Hornets’ defeats in Brooklyn on Monday and versus the Knicks on Wednesday?
“I just hyped him up tremendously, gave you all the positives to our team — and so you don’t have any of those things,” Lee quipped in a fun jest. “I guess the last thing, not having him sometimes it’s just another competitor, another basketball IQ guy. His spirit is so contagious, because he is so competitive and he wears his emotions on his sleeves. A lot of time he’s so passionate.
“It gives our group a boost. And so when you don’t have that guy out there, you know it can hurt you a lot.”
Arena malfunction causes lenghty delay
Immediately after LaMelo Ball’s 6-foot floater fell through the net with 11:20 remaining in the first quarter, referee Natalie Sago blew her whistle, stopping play. At first, the casual observer might’ve thought Sago was calling a technical foul on Ball for raising his arms in disgust, believing he got hacked on his drive to the bucket.
However, the stoppage stemmed from something else.
Strobe lighting inside the arena used for pre-game introductions malfunctioned badly, staying on and flickering, causing a glare on the court. Play got held up for more than 12 minutes of real time until the action finally resumed once the problem got corrected.
Sion James a quiet bright spot
Miller’s return meant it was back to a reserve role for Sion James.
Tabbed as the fill-in at shooting guard while Miller was out, James stepped up adequately and once again showed his ever-improving value to the Hornets. During the first two games of the trip, James tossed in 5 of 12 attempts and went 3 of 10 beyond the 3-point arc.
“He’s been really good,” Lee said of James. “He’s one of the more selfless guys that we have on this roster, where he’s willing to do whatever it takes to try to be positive or help us try to put ourselves in the best position to win a game. And he takes one of the best matchups every now and then.
“I love the communication that he has. He’s very vocal in what he sees during the game, which I think helps his teammates and helps me as well. And then offensively, he stays within himself. He’s looking to catch and shoot. He’s looking to create and connect everybody on our team.”
What’s up with Tre Mann?
While Miller and Ryan Kalkbrenner were good to go, the same couldn’t be said about Tre Mann.
Mann was on the bench in street clothes, rendering him without a single minute logged during the Hornets’ three-game trek through the northeast and across the Canadian border.
Just as he did in New York on Monday and Wednesday, Mann participated in the team’s morning shootaround. But he got downgraded to doubtful two hours later this time, before being listed as out with a little over an hour prior to tipoff versus Toronto.
His status for Sunday’s 6 p.m. start against Denver probably won’t be certain until closer to pre-game warmups, given the Hornets won’t have a shootaround before matching up with the Nuggets.
“I think he’s making good progress every day,” Lee said. “He’s been able to do a little bit on the court every day. And so it’s been a long road trip, but I think that he’s made progress on this road trip. And it’ll be good for us to get home, and get him back in our facility and keep evaluating them day-to-day.”