Kon Knueppel is on pace to become the first rookie to join the vaunted 50/40/90 shooters’ club.
Fifty-eight games. Two hundred 3-pointers.
It’s not just that Kon Knueppel reached that milestone number faster than any player in NBA history. It’s that he has another 20 games or so to keep rewriting the NBA rookie record book, for range and proficiency.
The Charlotte forward hit three of his six shots from deep Tuesday in the Hornets’ blowout victory in Chicago, upping his total to 201. He’s on the brink of matching and passing the Sacramento Kings’ Keegan Murray, who sank 206 in 2022-23.
Put another way, it took 44 years after the adoption of the 3-point shot for an NBA rookie to break 200 (Donovan Mitchell set the previous mark of 187 in 2017-18). It took the 20-year-old sharpshooter from Milwaukee four months as a pro to challenge it.
Knueppel’s efficiency and impact on the Hornets’ improved performance this season moved him to the top of this week’s Kia Rookie Ladder. He flips ahead of his Duke teammate and roommate, Dallas Mavericks star Cooper Flagg, in a rivalry in which they have shared the No. 1-2 spots almost all season.
Flagg has been injured, working his way back from a sprained left foot. His impact on the Mavericks’ play and their fans’ mood is undeniable, and his stats compare favorably with notable rookies such as LeBron James, Victor Wembanyama, Luka Dončić and others.
But Knueppel is blazing his own path, a few makes from the field and the line from being on pace to become the first rookie to join the vaunted 50/40/90 shooters’ club (at least 50% on field goals, 40% on threes and 90% on free throws).
And while Flagg can’t be blamed for getting hurt, we hear NBA coaches over and over remind us that “one of the best abilities is availability.” The Mavs’ 19-year-old will be back soon, with plenty of time to vie with his friend for Kia Rookie of the Year votes. But this week belongs to Knueppel.
Here is the latest edition of the Kia Rookie Ladder:
Weekly recap
- Are these two fellows really good friends? Well, how many of us have buddies who would drop $7,000 on a bunch of our trading cards? Flagg didn’t hesitate to score what seems like a solid speculative bet, though Knueppel sounded oblivious. “He called me and … Like I’m not big into that stuff, so he was showing me the cards,” Knueppel told the Charlotte Observer. “I didn’t realize cards were doing what they’re doing now, so I guess I’m not tapped in.”
- Don’t worry, Flagg’s items appear to be doing quite well in the sports collectibles market, as seen here and here.
Storyline to watch
Rookie rematch in Charlotte. The first time Knueppel and Flagg met as rivals, they and their teams produced one of the highlight games of the season. The Hornets prevailed on Jan. 29 at Dallas’ American Airlines Center, with Knueppel scoring 34 points and draining 8-for-12 3-pointers. Flagg countered with a 49-point explosion, taking 29 shots and making 20, while grabbing 10 rebounds. The teams are set to meet again on Tuesday, March 3 (7 ET, NBA League Pass), the second and final head-to-head showdown for the ROY subplot.
(All stats through Tuesday, Feb. 24)
1. Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets
Season stats: 19.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.5 apg
Last Ladder: No. 2 ⬆️
Draft pick: No. 4
Just for historical context, Knuppel – a product of his time, in the NBA style of 2025-26 – has surpassed some of the game’s greatest snipers in their rookie seasons. Damian Lillard hit 185 in his debut season, Steph Curry had 166. Others: Ray Allen, 117; Klay Thompson, 111; James Harden, 93; Reggie Miller, 61.
2. Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks
Season stats: 20.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 4.1 apg
Last Ladder: No. 1 ⬇️
Draft pick: No. 1
Flagg was scratched from Tuesday’s game at Brooklyn (left midfoot sprain), his fourth in a row with the injury that sidelined him at All-Star Weekend. He’s been sitting on 999 total points, still second-most in his class despite his eight missed games. No wonder the shortest month of the calendar feels so long to Mavs fans.
3. VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia 76ers
Season stats: 15.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4 apg
Last Ladder: No. 3 ↔️
Draft pick: No. 3
Edgecombe left All-Star Weekend with the Rising Stars MVP trophy after totaling 23 points and seven rebounds in two mini-games on Feb. 13. He scored 20 in his first game back, then hit a season-high six 3-pointers en route to 24 points at Minnesota Sunday. And no rookie has logged more minutes.
4. Derik Queen, New Orleans Pelicans
Season stats: 12.2 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 4 apg
Last Ladder: No. 4 ↔️
Draft pick: No. 13
Queen leads the rookies in rebounds and assists, he’s second in free throws and blocks, and he has looked comfortable as a point center for the Pelicans. Defense remains an unchecked box for now, but he did add postgame reporter the other day.
5. Maxime Raynaud, Sacramento Kings
Season stats: 10.1 ppg, 7 rpg, 1.1 apg
Last Ladder: No. 5 ↔️
Draft pick: No. 42
In his past 10 games, all since Kings fans hollered about Raynaud’s “snub” from Rising Stars consideration, the 7-foot-1 Frenchman has averaged 13.1 points and 9.9 rebounds, with five double-doubles. He leads his rookie class with 11 overall and is second in rebounds (357) only to the Pelicans’ Derik Queen.
The next 5
6. Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs
Season stats: 10.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.6 apg
Last Ladder: No. 8 ⬆️
Draft pick: No. 2
Harper had a five-game streak of 23+ minutes and 10+ points snapped when he 18 and 5 at Detroit Monday. But he logged time against an opponent he’s been watching “since 8th grade.” (Cade Cunningham is only 24, right?)
7. Cedric Coward, Memphis Grizzlies
Season stats: 13.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.9 apg
Last Ladder: No. 6 ⬇️
Draft pick: No. 11
There still is no timetable for Coward’s return from a hyperextended right knee. The Washingston State product had to be replaced in the Rising Stars event at All-Star Weekend, and if he doesn’t play Wednesday against Golden State or Friday against Dallas, his games-missed streak will hit seven.
8. Ace Bailey, Utah Jazz
Season stats: 11.7 ppg, 4 rpg, 1.7 apg
Last Ladder: No. 10 ⬆️
Draft pick: No. 5
Bailey’s rebounds and assists are up, part of an easy-does-it developmental process Utah has put in place for him. Coach Will Hardy told the Salt Lake Tribune: “We want to help him get through this season and be a way better player than when he started. I’m not pro ‘Ace just bombing away to get stats and clicks.’”
9. Egor Dëmin, Brooklyn Nets
Season stats: 10.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.2 apg
Last Ladder: No. 7 ⬇️
Draft pick: No. 8
A 1-for-10 night against OKC, including 1-for-8 from the arc, dragged down Dëmin’s shooting percentage. But the emergence of teammate Nolan Traoré has Nets fans envisioning the two 19-year-olds as Brooklyn’s global backcourt of the future.
T-10. Jeremiah Fears, New Orleans Pelicans
Season stats: 13.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.2 apg
Last Ladder: Not listed ⬆️
Draft pick: No. 7
No rookie has played more games than Fears, and he ranks fourth in this class in total minutes, points, buckets, shots, and free throws made and taken.
T-10. Collin Murray-Boyles, Toronto Raptors
Season stats: 7.9 ppg, 5 rpg, 2 apg
Last Ladder: Not listed ⬆️
Draft pick: No. 9
Murray-Boyles’ streak of 16 consecutive starts ended Sunday when he came off the bench at Milwaukee. In those starts, the 20-year-old from South Carolina averaged 9.9 points, 2.8 offensive rebounds and 2.9 “stocks,” while shooting 60.7%.
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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
