The Charlotte Hornets finished the 2024-2025 NBA season with a 19-63 record and were once again one of the worst teams in the NBA.
Charlotte is trying to find another star to pair with LaMelo Ball, who played in 47 games due to injury. The Hornets are not looking to trade Ball and will look to turn this franchise around. Charlotte will have the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Kon Knueppel could solve a lot of problems for the Hornets
The first-round of the 2025 NBA Draft will take place next Wednesday, June 25 and in their latest mock draft, ESPN has the Hornets selecting Duke Blue Devils wing Kon Knueppel.
Last season, the 6-foot-7, 217-pound Knueppel averaged 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game, along with shooting 47.9 percent from the field.
Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com said about the Hornets potentially making this pick, "Knueppel has some real fans among NBA teams in this portion of the draft, with proponents highlighting his elite movement and spot-up shooting (emphasis on his ability to shoot off movement as opposed to his actual movement), defensive smarts and playmaking, as well as an analytics-friendly profile that shines through in team draft models. Knueppel's feel for the game, selfless style of play, strength and toughness should make him easy to play with, especially alongside the likes of LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, who he appears to complement quite well.
"The Hornets and Jazz are two teams that appear to have interest in him, with his floor seemingly no lower than No. 8. He's the type of prospect a playoff-caliber team could also target in a trade, as he has a plug-and-play skill set and looks likely to bring value throughout his cost-controlled rookie-scale contract."
It appeared as Knueppel was not going to be a top five pick in the NBA Draft at the start of the college basketball season but he has climbed up draft boards in a hurry. A pairing of Ball and Knueppel in the back court could be very interesting next season.
In a league that is reliant on the three-point shot, Knueppel shot 40.6 percent from 3-point land and could help the Hornets take a leap. Charlotte has not made the playoffs since the 2015-16 NBA season, where they finished with a 48-34 record.
Drafting a shooting guard would make the most sense for the Hornets with the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Knueppel staying in the state of North Carolina to play in the NBA would be ideal for him because he played for the Blue Devils. Some other players that Charlotte could target with the fourth pick are VJ Edgecombe from the Baylor Bears, Tre Johnson from the Texas Longhorns, or Airious "Ace" Bailey from the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.