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
Kon Knueppel’s entertaining start has been paused, but perhaps not for long.
The Charlotte Hornets’ rookie sensation appears to have escaped serious injury and is considered day-to-day, which is welcome news for the franchise after he sprained his right ankle in the second quarter of Friday night’s win and didn’t return.
Knueppel was guarding Orlando’s Desmond Bane during a drive to the basket and elevated attempting to block the shot, landing on Bane’s right ankle on the follow through. But the 20-year-old’s ankle is apparently bouncing back already
“Kon, he’s an insane competitor — he wants to come back for practice,” coach Charles Lee said Sunday preparations for Monday’s game against Milwaukee at Spectrum Center. “But I do think that he’s made good progress so far. He’s been able to do a little bit on the court, but we will continue to see how he responds every day.
“As of now, it’s a right ankle sprain, and we’ll kind of work day-to-day to see how he responds to treatment.”
Kon Knueppel of the Charlotte Hornets in action against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Sarah Stier Getty Images
However long he’s sidelined, Knueppel’s absence will be felt. He is among the early leaders for the NBA’s rookie of the year honors thanks to averaging 19.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, along with becoming the fastest player in league history to reach 100 made career 3-pointers, eclipsing the previous record of Utah’s Lauri Markkanen by 12 games.
That’s why the Hornets are fortunate and grateful Knueppel is quickly on the mend.
“For sure,” Lee said. “You never want to see a worse or more serious injury knowing he has sprained that ankle before. But I think all the stuff our performance team has done with him to continue to strengthen his ankles, all the measures that he takes in terms of wearing braces and things of that nature put him in a really good spot.
“Glad to hear that it is where it is. It’s like the best of the worst case and we are going to just continue to evaluate him.”
With Knueppel’s status clouded for the immediate future, it will force Lee to make a few more adjustments with the Hornets facing matchups against Milwaukee and Golden State. Losing Knueppel’s offense hurts, given he helps space the floor, but defensively he’s taken on the challenge of steadily improving on that end of the floor as well.
As the rookie heals, expect to see Josh Green and Tre Mann receive increased minutes.
“It’s a little bit like our big situation,” Lee said. “Ryan (Kalkbrenner) goes down, Mason (Plumlee) goes down, Miles (Bridges), Moussa (Diabate) and Tidjane (Salaun) and even sometimes Sion (James) have done a good job. They know where to be on the court offensively. Defensively, a lot of our schemes stay the same, maybe switch a little bit more because you have a lot of like-sized guys.
“Our identity as a team is to be one of the most competitive teams, one of the most together teams. And the guys are also going to have to do that at the wing spots, too, with Kon being out.”