The Charlotte Hornets are strongly backing Kon Knueppel’s Rookie of the Year candidacy, with head coach Charles Lee, executive Jeff Peterson, and Brandon Miller all voicing support, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.
“I understand why the race is tight,” Lee said. “The rookie class this year has been pretty impressive. [Cooper] Flagg is one of the guys that’s up there, and I think that he’s shown some good moments. But I said it about a month ago, to me it’s not even close. I still feel that way.
“I think that this period of time has shown it even more, when you have a guy that’s been as productive as Kon has been, when he’s been as consistent as he is, and as efficient as he’s been on a playoff-caliber team. I think that’s pretty impressive.
“There’s things that show historically what he’s been able to do as a rookie,” Lee continued. “but then there’s even some stats if you dive even deeper into the advanced stats and stuff, he’s just one of the best players in the NBA – not even just as a rookie.
“So, I can go on and on, but I think that he has definitely made his case just from a production, consistency and efficiency perspective, and also impacting winning games.”
Knueppel has played 1 season for the Hornets. He has averaged 18.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 79 regular-season games.
Southeast Notes: Knueppel, W. Carter, Keefe, Sarr https://t.co/1kMJ7cvKYN pic.twitter.com/cvPlOBEVYA
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