Charlotte Hornets swingman Kon Knueppel has broken the NBA rookie 3 point record after sinking his 207th of the season Thursday night vs. Indiana.
Knueppel was scoring at will vs. a depleted Pacers squad, tallying 28 points while going 8 for 12 from beyond the arc in his team’s 133-109 victory. His eight made three pointers fell one short of the single game rookie record of 9, but were enough to move him past Keegan Murray’s previous record.
Making the feat even more impressive is that it took Murray 80 games to reach 206, while Knueppel did it in just 59. Now sitting at 209 made threes on the season, Knueppel leads all NBA players in that category on the year. The 20 year is also the fastest player to 200 made 3-pointers in league history.
“It’s really just about making the right basketball play,” Knueppel said after the game. “My teammates are setting good screens and setting me up in good spots. The coaches as well. I’m just out there looking to make the right play for my team.”
His strong rookie campaign has drawn praise from Stephen Curry as well. The veteran sharpshooter told reporters after a recent game vs. Charlotte “He can obviously shoot the ball at a high level… You can’t really leave him open at all as he has such a quick release and shoots with confidence. And his playmaking is very underrated. His game just suits the NBA style, whether it’s fast-paced or a slowed-down possession game.”
Knueppel’s prowess from beyond the arc has essentially made the rookie of the year competition a two man race between himself and former Duke teammate Cooper Flagg. Across 49 games this season with the Dallas Mavericks, Flagg is averaging 20.4pts/6.6reb/4.1ast per contest.
For his part, Knueppel is averaging 19.4pts/5/4reb/3.5ast a night, but has also appeared in 10 more games than his counterpart.
Most sports books favour this 2 man race to the finish, with Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe a distant third at +7500 or more across most outlets. At the moment, Flagg remains the favourite at -210, but Knueppel is right behind him at +120.
And if he continues to rewrite the history books, then he’s got as good a chance as any to dethrone the preseason favourite for the award. Up next for Charlotte is a Saturday afternoon game at home vs. the Portland Trail Blazers.
Photo: Matthew D. Britt. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.