Hornets Head Coach Charles Lee detailed Moussa Diabaté’s rapid growth into a versatile defensive anchor capable of guarding multiple positions. Lee also emphasized the team's depth and his "gut-feeling" approach to player rotations as the Hornets prepare for their final game of 2025. By DIAMOND VENCES| ROD BOONE
Charles Lee insists he wasn’t aware of Kon Knueppel’s latest homecoming.
“I don’t have any socials,” the Charlotte Hornets coach said, “so I’m not sure.”
Some 24 hours before taking the floor at Fiserv Forum on Friday night, Knueppel spent some time at his alma mater, Wisconsin Lutheran High School in Milwaukee, being presented with a framed Duke jersey that will hang somewhere on the campus grounds.
Just add it to the honors that keep piling up for Knueppel.
Prior to pouring in team-best 26 points in the Hornets’ 122-121 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks — which ended with Brandon Miller unable to convert a driving layup at the buzzer — Knueppel was named the Eastern Conference rookie of the month for December, marking the second straight month he’s earned the distinction and becoming the sixth player in Hornets franchise history to earn more than one rookie of the month selection.
It’s thanks in part to Knueppel pacing all rookies in points per game in December at 19.3, and him being one of two rookies — joining former Duke teammate Cooper Flagg — with three games of at least 30 points.
He leads all rookies in made 3-pointers (117) as well as 3-point percentage at 43.2. Throw in becoming the fastest player in NBA history to reach 100 career 3-pointers made, along with breaking the rookie record of Charlotte’s prodigal son Stephen Curry for most games with 20 or more while making at least 50% from the field, 40% beyond the arc and 90% from the free throw line.
Against the Bucks, Knueppel put up 10 points in the opening quarter, which included draining a 3-pointer to increase his streak of made 3-pointers to 15 straight games.
Even with all that, Knueppel’s presence on the defensive side has Lee’s attention.
“I’m not surprised by how competitive he is on that end of the floor,” Lee said, “but I am impressed with the impact he’s had as a primary defender on certain guys, Doesn’t shy away from any matchup and just his overall basketball IQ, I think he brings physicality defensively, allows him to be so impactful.
“So, that’s one of the areas where I definitely feel in the NBA, you get so focused on scoring and you need more guys valuing trying to get stops possession after possession. And all that goes into it and he’s one of those guys. So, to have more Kons in a group, I think it starts to become more contagious with the rest of the team.”
Here’s what else the Hornets (11-23) had to say of note in Milwaukee:
Kon Knueppel of the Charlotte Hornets was named the Eastern Conference rookie of the month for December. Mitchell Leff Getty Images
On the game overall:
“I thought our guys competed their tails off,” Lee said. “I thought there were some stretches where we could have taken complete control of the game. Credit to our players for starting the year off with a competitive spirit and playing a team like that with so many offensive weapons. We had to do a lot of things differently to kind of throw them off and try to break their rhythm. And I thought we did a pretty good job.
“Offensively the ball movement is still there, the ability to play a lot of different lineups. So credit to our team for their competitiveness and open-mindedness.”
On teaching points from game’s closing seconds:
“Defensively, how we are a little tighter there with our coverage at the end of the game to not allow that lob,” Lee said. “And I thought we executed both of our game plans pretty well. Obviously, scored on a Miles (Bridges’) bucket on a back pick, and the second play got a decent look for Brandon. But we can be a little bit better.”
On what PJ Hall, who made his first career start, brings:
“I think just his overall versatility,” Lee said. “As a ‘5’ he’s able to stretch the floor I think a little bit more than some of the other bigs we have right now, that different pitch we can throw having him in the game. Defensively, he has the ability to be able to play two different styles of pick-and-roll defense, which we are interested to see if we can kind of tap into that and add to his versatility and his tool box.
“But overall I just think that he can give us something different than some of our other bigs can give us.”
On Pat Connaughton:
“Pat’s been very huge for our overall environment, our culture, our daily habits,” Lee said. “He’s obsessed with just trying to keep getting better. Even as many years as he’s been in the league, he’s trying to find a way to get onto the court and be impactful and change his game and evolve, so I appreciate that, and I appreciate his vocal leadership. He’s seen so many things.
“This is his third different team — Portland, Milwaukee and now with us — and he’s been around some very good players in (Damian) Lillard and (Giannis) Antetokounmpo and (Kris) Middleton, (Jrue) Holiday. The list goes on and on. So, he understands what it takes to be successful individually and as a team and he’s not afraid to speak on it. It’s been really helpful I can tell whenever he speaks up in a huddle or a film session guys are all eyes and ears.”