Kon Knueppel leaves season debut with Hornets early with leg injury after offseason hamstring issue

Kon Knueppel's season debut with the Charlotte Hornets didn't go as planned Wednesday night. Knueppel, who had been dealing with a left a hamstring injury in recent weeks, left Charlotte's 114-104 loss to the Brooklyn Nets early due to what the team called a left leg injury. Further specifics are not yet known, but the Hornets quickly ruled him out.

It appeared as if Knueppel pulled up awkwardly while trying to handle the ball on the wing early in the contest. He dribbled the ball off his foot, and then started limping off the floor in significant discomfort.

He had three points and went 0-for-1 shooting from the field in his six minutes on the court at the Barclays Center.

The second-year sharpshooter had yet to play this season due to a strained left hamstring . Knueppel suffered the injury during "offseason on-court activity," the Hornets said in September. He sat out all of the preseason and the team's first eight games.

Last week, Knueppel was assigned to the team's G League affiliate in Greensboro, North Carolina, as part of his recovery. The 21-year-old was initially listed as probable for the Nets game before receiving an upgrade in status hours before tip-off.

Knueppel finished second in NBA Rookie of the Year balloting last season after challenging 2025 No. 1 overall draft pick and eventual winner Cooper Flagg by averaging 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Selected No. 4 overall out of Duke in the 2025 NBA Draft , he led the league by making 273 3-pointers, shooting 43% on 673 attempts.

He helped the Hornets improve to 44-38 and earn a spot in the NBA play-in tournament as the No. 9 seed, turning around from the league's third-worst record at 19-63 in 2024-25.

The Nets (2-6) surged ahead in the fourth quarter Wednesday night to grab the 10-point win. Michael Porter Jr. led the way with 26 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 8-of-17 from the field, and Julius Randle added 22 points.

Naz Reid led the Hornets with 28 points and nine rebounds in the loss, which was their fifth straight and dropped them to 3-6 on the season. Grayson Allen added 22 points off the bench, and Brandon Miller finished with 10 points while shooting 2-of-15 from the field.

While specifics of Knueppel's latest injury aren't yet known, losing him for any significant stretch would undoubtedly be a tough development for the Hornets as they get started this season. The team hasn't been to the playoffs in more than a decade, and a healthy Knueppel would be a huge part of that push.