Finding the Kon Knueppel of the 2026 NBA Draft class

Welcome to Upside and Motor, a weekly NBA Draft column dedicated to analyzing the next wave of basketball stars, from blue blood sensations to those flying under the radar.

Kon Knueppel has exploded out of the gate for the Charlotte Hornets, averaging 19.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists on .491/.438/.900 splits in 33.6 minutes. He has recorded four straight games of 24-plus points as of this writing.

It's still early, and Knueppel faces stiff competition from Cooper Flagg and VJ Edgecombe, but the No. 4 overall pick has dramatically reshaped the Rookie of the Year conversation. Knueppel was always going to produce — he was one of the most polished and complete offensive weapons in college basketball as a 19-year-old — but the scale of his output has exceeded all reasonable expectations.

Kon Knueppel is on a historic streak for the Hornets

With 63 made 3s through 17 games, Knueppel is on track to set the rookie shooting record. But he's in even more impressive company beyond that.

Knueppel bombing 3s is not out of character, but he looks like a proper star for Charlotte — the kind you reorient your entire franchise around. It's unwise to get carried away after 17 games, but nothing Knueppel is doing feels unsustainable. He can hit 40 percent of his 3s on high volume (8.5 attempts). More importantly, Knueppel is also adept inside the arc and as a playmaker.

This is just the latest in a long string of examples highlighting the value of feel and scalability in draft evaluation. Knueppel can fit in virtually any context. His shooting is a signature skill, but he's a slick driver, an excellent two-foot finisher at the rim, and a genuinely brilliant processor. His ability to diagnose and exploit lapses in the opposing defense is second to none among 2025 draft peers. Knueppel slings swift, on-target passes in the flow of the offense. It's second nature for him to relocate off-ball, cut backdoor, and locate defensive fissures.

The majority of Knueppel skeptics prior to the draft cited his lack of traditional athleticism for a lottery pick — and it's true. He's not twitchy. He's not explosive. He has a negative wingspan. The "eye test" might paint Knueppel as slow, as "limited," even when he's running circles around the opponent mentally.

There isn't a one-for-one Knueppel comparison in the 2026 draft, but here are a few prospects outside the absolute top tier who could steal a page from Knueppel's book, parlaying advanced feel and skill into fruitful pro careers.

Braylon Mullins, G, UConn

Braylon Mullins is still waiting to debut as he recovers from a preseason ankle injury, but the UConn freshman does share clear parallels to Knueppel. He's a smidge shorter, but also a better athlete — and one of the most prolific high school 3-point shooters in recent memory, a trait that should endear him in Storrs.

Mullins comfortably fires from several steps behind the NBA 3-point line. He's adept at shooting on the move, already ahead of the curve when it comes to relocating into open space and finding ways to open up the floor for teammates, even when he's not directly involved in a play.

Watching Mullins fly off of pindowns, attack errant closeouts, and finish with funky, off-beat floaters, one can easily connect the dots to Knueppel. He's not a serious self-creator, but Mullins has the handles and the footwork necessary to attack and extend advantages. His pull-up shooting is ahead of where Knueppel's was at Duke, although touch (and high school tape) made it clear that Knueppel would excel in that respect, sooner than later.

Quality defense is another feather in Mullins' cap. Knueppel's defense was underrated at Duke due to a lack of ~events~ (1.2 stocks) caused. Mullins should come by steals and generate transition offense more easily. He doesn't quite have the warp-speed brain that Knueppel does, and Mullins isn't the same rebounder, for obvious reasons. That said, Mullins is good at the hit-ahead passes to transform turnovers into quick, easy buckets. Expect his stock to soar once he's back.

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Cayden Boozer, G, Duke

Occasionally lost in the shadow of his high-profile twin brother and a deep Duke roster, Cayden Boozer should command NBA interest of his own next summer. He's coming off the bench for now and could end up being more of a 2027 prospect, but Boozer's basketball IQ — on top of his commendable orchestration skills, could put him in a sneaky, Knueppel-eseque vein.

He's a point guard, not a wing, so processing the floor and setting up teammates comes with the territory. Boozer is still on a unique plane, however, in no small part due to his age. At 18, he'll be one of the youngest players in the draft and one of the youngest players in the NBA next season, assuming he commits. And yet, despite operating at an experience deficit, Boozer looks to be in complete control at all times.

The numbers aren't anything special yet — 7.4 points, 4.0 assists on .484/.385/.810 splits in 22.1 minutes — but Boozer's numbers should perk up as the season moves forward. He has consistently looked like the best guard on Duke's roster, despite the scarcity of his opportunities.

Cam Boozer gets the majority of the credit as one of the winningest high school stars in recent history, but Cayden shares much of the same résumé. He will need to prove to scouts that he can score at a high enough volume to stick in the NBA, but Boozer's comfort level running the pick-and-roll, probing the defense, and locating teammates is next level. He's a good enough shooter to produce off the ball, and Boozer has a unique blend of strength and pace-change ability, which he leverages successfully on drives to the cup.

Bennett Stirtz, G, Iowa

Unlike the freshmen, Bennett Stirtz is a 22-year-old senior at Iowa, which is bound to temper expectations in certain circles. But he's also a wizard on the basketball court, able to create opportunities en masse off of drives or out of pick-and-rolls.

There's only a thin list of better point guards at the college level. Actually, to be frank, that list may not exist. Stirtz has leveled up seamlessly from mid-major Drake to Big Ten's Iowa, playing almost every minute for the Hawkeyes as he commands all aspects of the offense. James Harden once called himself "a system." That description very much applies to Stirtz.

The 6-foot-4 Stirtz has mostly beat up on bad competition out of the gate, a time-honored tradition dating back to his days at D-II Northwest Missouri State. But in his first major test against Xavier, Stirtz answered the call. He posted 21 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals on 7-of-13 shooting — in 40 minutes.

Stirtz won't be so thoroughly involved in his team's moment-to-moment operations at the next level, but he should scale effortlessly into a more streamlined role. Stirtz maps out the floor and picks defenses apart like it's second nature. He can deliver every pass in the book, whether he's rifling it cross-court to an open shooter or grabbing a rebound and lofting it to a sprinting teammate on the fastbreak. Better than any other prospect in this class, Stirtz creates advantages with his passes. He doesn't just capitalize on them. He's a step ahead of the opponent at all times. Those smarts, combined with four years of collegiate experience, should accelerate his acclimation at the next level.

Nikolas Khamenia, F, Duke

Not to hammer the Duke connection again, but Jon Scheyer recruits a certain type of player. Nikolas Khamenia is buried on a deep Blue Devils depth chart right now, averaging 7.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists on .529/.435/.600 splits in 19.9 minutes. He might wait until 2027 to expand his role and elevate his profile in NBA circles. That said, scouts should see right through a less than favorable circumstance and understand the value Khamenia provides, especially since he did plenty to stand out in high school.

At 6-foot-8 and 215 pounds, Khamenia's measurements almost mirror Knueppel. You will also hear the same laundry list of strengths and hangups. Khemenia is ultra-skilled and ultra-smart on the wing. He renders quick decisions that promote offensive flow. He's not explosive, vertically or horizontally, but Khamenia gets downhill against closeouts, leveraging slick footwork and a strong frame to carve out finishes below the rim. He's limited on defense, especially when it comes to matchup pliability, but Khamenia has sharp instincts and puts in the work to add least provide net-zero value on that end.

His role could (and probably should) expand along with Boozer's, as both provide a level of stability and skill the Blue Devils would massively benefit from in larger doses. That gives hope to those counting on Khamenia as a 2026 prospect. He takes a lot of 3s (9.3 per 100 possessions, compared to 10.5 for Knueppel) and is currently operating with comparable efficiency, albeit on much lower usage.

But that's what makes prospects like Khamenia so special. He's tailor-made for an NBA role player's life on day one, much like his predeccor and the current ROTY favorite. Feel and skill are often much better star indicators than pure athleticism. Knueppel was able to take center stage for Duke when Cooper Flagg hurt his ankle in the ACC Tournament. Now, he's doing it for the Hornets. Put Khamenia in a similar situation, and there's reason to believe he, too, can rise to the occasion.

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2026 NBA mini-mock draft