Kon Knueppel came out before going out on Friday evening. The rookie guard scored 16 points in the first quarter for the Charlotte Hornets. 120-105 victory against Orlando Magic (17-14), but the No. 4 overall draft pick suffered a right ankle injury late in the first half that kept him sidelined for the rest of the game.
Head coach Charles Lee said afterward that X-rays of Knueppel’s ankle appeared negative and that the Hornets (11-20) would get more information on Knueppel when the team returned home. as reported by The Charlotte Observer.
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With less than 30 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Knueppel appeared to roll his ankle after landing on Magic guard Desmond Bane’s shoe during a struggle in the paint.
While Knueppel was quiet in the second quarter before his injury, he turned heads with his first-quarter explosion, which saw him make all four of his 3-point attempts.
The Duke product has enjoyed record success from beyond the arc this season. Earlier this week, in a 139-132 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Knueppel, 20, became the fastest player in NBA history to make 100 3s.
He only needed 29 games to get there, surpassing Lauri Markkanen, who reached the milestone in 41 games with the Chicago Bulls in 2017-18.
Knueppel entered Friday’s game in Orlando averaging 19.4 points per game on 47.4 percent shooting, with a 41.9 percent rate from long range.
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Like his college teammate Cooper Flagg, Knueppel quickly translated his skills to the NBA.
Knueppel’s injury is the latest the Hornets have suffered this season. They were notably down two of their top three centers Friday, as Ryan Kalkbrenner and Mason Plumlee were unavailable.
Still, Charlotte found a way to win on the road. Seven different Hornets scored in double figures. LaMelo Ball led the charge with 22 points and made four 3s, but with six turnovers attached to his stat line. Collin Sexton, in just his second game back from a quad injury, scored 13 points coming off the bench.
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The Hornets are playing better basketball as of late, but losing Knueppel for a significant period of time could delay that progress.
