Kon Knueppel was everything the Charlotte Hornets could’ve hoped for as a rookie.
In his first NBA season out of Duke, Knueppel contended with his college teammate Cooper Flagg in the Rookie of the Year race. Knueppel’s shooting prowess translated to the NBA, but so did his playmaking and finishing.
Knueppel almost immediately looked like just the right pick for the Hornets, and his emergence probably didn’t hurt when they chose to trade LaMelo Ball away in the offseason.
The Hornets are now building around Brandon Miller, who just got a new contract extension, and Knueppel.
The only bummer for fans of Charlotte basketball is that Knueppel isn’t available for the season opener.
When the Hornets began the season on Wednesday night, Knueppel will only be on the sideline.
Why Isn’t Kon Knueppel Playing Tonight?
Knueppel is out of action for the season opener on Wednesday against the Brooklyn Nets due to injury.
The Hornets announced on Tuesday that a left hamstring strain will make him unavailable for the Nets game.
It’s not totally clear when Knueppel was injured.
How Long is Kon Knueppel Out?
There’s no official timeline on how long Knueppel will be out.
The Hornets’ announcement of Knueppel’s injury indicated that he has returned to individual on-court activity.
The conceptual next step would be for Knueppel to return to on-court team activity, and then once he did that, he could likely return to game action.
The calf injury might also require a bit of ramp-up time before the Hornets throw Knueppel into his full minutes workload.
As a rookie, he averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, so it’s a tough absence for as long as the Hornets go without him.
2 Other Hornets Out
The Hornets are without at least two other players for the season opener.
They announced that another guard, Coby White, has a left calf strain keeping him out. He’s playing on a new three-year, $74 million contract, but that will take a little while to actually spring into action since White is injured.
White hurt his calf on Oct. 5 during training camp and didn’t participate in the rest of the preseason, so this injury has now stuck around for more than two weeks.
The Hornets will also be without Grant Williams. He’s listed with a right hamstring injury.
Charlotte’s next game is its home opener on Friday night against the Atlanta Hawks, which will be the next chance for these players to get on the court.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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