Hornets' Knueppel ruled out with leg soreness in season debut

November 04, 2026 - 9:10pm

Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel looks to shoot against the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. (Nell Redmond/AP)

One of the NBA's promising young players can't catch a break.

Charlotte Hornets star Kon Knueppel was ruled out after the first quarter against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday with left leg soreness, the team announced.

It was Knueppel's season debut after missing the Hornets' first eight games with a left hamstring strain.

The 21-year-old finished second in Rookie of the Year voting last season to Cooper Flagg after averaging 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists over 81 games, 80 of them starts.

Knueppel also shot 42.5 per cent on 7.9 three-point attempts per game and set the record for most threes by a rookie with 273.

Charlotte is off to a 3-5 start after trading star guard LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the off-season and missing Knueppel's scoring through the first two weeks of the season.