Charlotte Hornets Face Setback as Kon Knueppel Injury SHAKES Up NBA Season Start

September 25, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The Charlotte Hornets will start the season without rookie sharpshooter Kon Knueppel, who suffered a hamstring injury during an offseason workout and is set to be re-evaluated during the first week of the regular season. The injury, reported about an hour before this episode of Locked On NBA Game Night was recorded, raises immediate questions about how the Hornets will replace his shooting—and whether the team can still make the leap some analysts expect.

The Knueppel Injury and What It Means for Charlotte

Knueppel was not just any rookie. As the hosts note, "if it wasn't Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel would have been the rookie of the year last year." His statistical profile as a rookie was extraordinary: 18.5 points per game, a 60% effective field goal percentage, and 42.5% from three on eight three-point attempts per game. One host calls him "the best shooting season of any rookie ever," comparing his trajectory to Michael Porter Jr.'s early career as a shooter.

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What you'll learn

1 (01:40) **Show Introduction & Hosts** - Hayes and Swiper welcome listeners to Locked On NBA Game Night, setting up a multi-topic episode focused on the start of the NBA season.
2 (02:14) **Kon Knueppel Hamstring Injury** - Breaking news: Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel suffered a hamstring injury during an offseason workout and will miss the start of the regular season.
3 (03:44) **Hornets Depth Mitigates Loss** - Hayes argues the Hornets have enough shooting depth to absorb Knueppel's absence without catastrophic offensive drop-off.
4 (05:11) **Kobe White's Potential as Scoring Leader** - The hosts debate whether Kobe White could lead the Hornets in scoring over Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel.
5 (07:03) **Grant Williams Also Injured** - Hornets forward Grant Williams suffered a right hamstring injury and will miss the entire preseason, though this is less impactful given the team's frontcourt additions.
6 (08:10) **Hornets Season Win Total Prediction** - The hosts give their projections for the Charlotte Hornets' 2025-26 season performance.
7 (09:59) **New Draft Lottery Incentives** - The hosts discuss how the NBA's new draft odds flattening affects teams like the Hornets.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Charlotte Hornets face an early-season setback as sharpshooter Kon Knueppel is set to miss time with a hamstring injury. Can Brandon Miller step up and deliver a breakout campaign, or will Coby White lead the Hornets’ scoring attack amid roster shakeups? Haize & Swipa break down the depth Charlotte has assembled—highlighting additions like Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neal, and Naz Reid—while debating how the team’s revamped offense and defense could shape their playoff hopes.

New York Knicks get a boost with Jalen Brunson cleared for training camp, but the front office hits a crossroads with Karl-Anthony Towns’ contract talks reportedly tens of millions apart. The hosts weigh whether the Knicks should manage Brunson’s minutes this season and debate the implications of Towns’ negotiations on New York’s long-term roster flexibility. Which surprise team or rising star will catch the league off guard as Media Day and a new NBA season approach?

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