The Rise of Kon Knueppel: Is He the Favorite for ROY?

With the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery, the Charlotte Hornets earned, for the third straight year, the chance to select a top prospect with one of the first six picks. This time, the No. 4 pick brought Kon Knueppel II to North Carolina, the Duke teammate of Cooper Flagg – the player who dominated global attention leading up to the Draft.

For the American guard with a German passport, the start of the season – barely a month in – has been both convincing and surprising, even considering such a high selection. His statistical profile shows an efficient, well-rounded output, highlighted by an excellent and highly valuable 40.2% from beyond the arc.

Bill Simmons and Tim Legler, the former NBA player turned analyst, also weighed in on Knueppel in the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, clearly impressed.

Simmons reaffirmed his optimistic expectations for the Hornets guard even before he entered the league:

I really liked that pick. I think he already looks like he could be mistaken for a 27-year-old. He can run the team’s offense, rebounds, is always in the right spot doing the right thing.

Bill Simmons

Legler, on the other hand, didn’t hide his surprise:

I’ll admit it, I was shocked to see him go fourth. And now I get it. He has a feel for the game you just can’t teach. Some players, even some really talented ones, don’t show that until their third or fourth year.

Tim Legler

Starting from two very different views regarding the player’s readiness for the “grown man’s league,” Simmons and Legler now find themselves among the many keeping a close eye on KK. Charlotte fans certainly are – and will do so with even more hope – placing their dreams on a player they see as a potential turning point for a franchise that hasn’t reached the NBA Playoffs since 2016, the longest drought in the league.