Kon Knueppel reflected on Charlotte’s 114-103 victory over the New York Knicks, emphasizing the team’s mindset as a key factor. “I just thought we came out with a good mentality to play our brand of basketball and brought the physicality to the game that we needed tonight,” he said Thursday at Spectrum Center.
Knueppel, 20, scored 26 points with six 3-pointers and narrowly missed his first career triple-double, adding 10 rebounds and eight assists. On his performance despite a lingering injury, he said, “I feel good. A little frustrating to have a nagging injury, you know, not really holding me out to play, but you just don’t feel your best. Having the body fresh and playing our brand of hoops led to a good individual game for me tonight.”
When asked about his fast-break connection with LaMelo Ball, Knueppel credited chemistry and practice. “He wants to put me in a position where I’m ready to just take the shot right away because we know that’s a high-quality shot,” he explained. “We do a lot of work as a team in practice to get that rhythm, especially at that fast pace.”
Knueppel also discussed his often-overlooked defense, particularly against Jalen Brunson. “I’m not super disruptive. I do a good job of staying in between my guy and the basket for the most part and using my chest, which makes it hard for anybody to hit a shot,” he said. “Sometimes you just got to tip your hat, but you try to make it as tough as you can.”
On diving for loose balls, he emphasized the team’s commitment to every possession. “We just don’t want to give away any edge, maybe win a possession, because that matters at the end of games,” Knueppel noted. He also highlighted the Hornets’ focus on the present: “Win the day and get better within each day. We’re not trying to look ahead or dwell in the past.”
Regarding the team’s identity shift, Knueppel said, “It’s a commitment to what we do, establishing an identity as a team, and our coaching staff has done a really good job of doing that. There’s definitely a lot of buy-in from all of our guys right now.”
Knueppel addressed playoff conversations, noting a single team meeting on the topic. “When you focus on doing your best today, that puts us in the best position for future seeding or whatever place in the standings we get,” he said.
He also shared his relationship with Coby White, praising the veteran’s energy and knowledge. “I love Coby. He appreciates basketball, knows the players, and you can pick his brain about hoops. He’s got a good energy about him, smiles all the time, which is great for any locker room.”
The Hornets’ win marked their fifth straight and snapped the Knicks’ seven-game streak. Charlotte (39-34) now shares eighth place in the Eastern Conference with Miami, though the Heat hold the tiebreaker. LaMelo Ball added 22 points, and Brandon Miller contributed 21 points and eight rebounds.
Charlotte returns home to host Philadelphia on Saturday, while the Knicks travel to Oklahoma City on Sunday.
