LaMelo Ball helped convince the Hornets to draft Kon Knueppel
LaMelo Ball has been a lightning rod for criticism all through his NBA profession due to his unfastened play, seemingly unserious angle, and deservedly for his dangerous driving. One factor that has been a complete fantasy is his lack of basketball IQ, as a result of inside his floaty, road ball type is a man who actually you perceive ball.
A new story from ESPN on the rise of the Hornets this season put Melo’s influence on the group into full focus, particularly when it got here to the group discovering their lacking piece. Charlotte seemingly had shooters with their nucleus of Ball and Brandon Miller, however when LaMelo was requested by GM Jeff Peterson about the participant in the 2025 class that he preferred, there was just one reply.
Although Cooper Flagg was the consensus can’t-miss prospect, Ball was speaking up Kon Knueppel to the Hornets GM. Ball had watched Duke play throughout the season and advised Peterson how savvy he thought the ahead was. He was struck by Knueppel’s basketball IQ and understanding of the recreation — spectacular even for a five-star prospect. And after all, there was Knueppel’s elite taking pictures.
This dialogue occurred earlier than the NBA Draft lottery came about, with out Charlotte realizing they’d be choosing 4th total. The 19-63 Hornets had the third-worst document in the NBA, which gave them the an identical 14% probability to land the high choose as the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards. Despite all this Knueppel was the participant that Ball could not cease speaking about.
“He’s spot on with those traits,” Peterson advised ESPN of that break-of-dawn draft breakdown. “He was very detailed in his evaluation of why he liked him. That was even more impressive that he was able to kind of highlight him because there were some other guys that he didn’t highlight.
“He may have a future in the front office if he wants.”
The Hornets improved to 44-38 this season, good enough to make the NBA Play-In Tournament, and Knueppel is a mammoth reason why. His lights out shooting, and veteran-level ability to play off the screen has paired perfectly with a healthy Ball and Miller this season to transform Charlotte into one of the NBA’s hottest teams, and a legitimate nightmare matchup should they manage to make it through to the playoffs and face a top seed.
It’s impossible to know what the Hornets would have looked like had they landed the No. 1 pick and Flagg. There is no question that Flagg has the superstar ability to take over the league and become a legitimate top player in the NBA, but it’s unclear if he would have been a good fit alongside Ball and Miller. Meanwhile, Knueppel’s team-first, unselfish play has allowed Charlotte to flourish with perimeter shooting, stretching the floor, and morphing from a spot-up shooter early in the season, to now being a threat that has to be accounted for, opening up passing lanes for LaMelo Ball.
All in all, Kon Knueppel to Charlotte has been a match made in basketball heaven, and the Hornets at the moment are a group to watch in the East for 2026-27, no matter what occurs in the postseason. LaMelo Ball is a large a part of that for figuring out the Duke ahead and serving to to flip the whole lot round.
