No matter the circumstance, Charlotte Hornets rookie forward Kon Knueppel maintains a stoic reaction. Through makes or misses, he stays selective with his shooting. Through defensive stops or miscues, Knueppel moves onto the next play. Through wins and losses, the 20-year-old prepares to make the next outing in hopes of having his best performance yet.

“I just try to make the right play,” Knueppel said. “I think when you stick to that and have a physical presence out there and play hard, in this league, that can take you far.”

It sure can.

The Hornets entered Wednesday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers with Knueppel leading his rookie class in points per game (19.0) and 3-point shooting (43.5%). Recently, an opposing team’s front-office executive and two NBA scouts told EssentiallySports that they wouldn’t be surprised if Knueppel wins the Rookie of the Year award. All of those people believe Dallas Mavericks rookie forward Cooper Flagg could still win, but the race has become close.

Despite the Hornets’ inconsistency, those around the organization laud Knueppel for his steadiness as a reliable shooter and effective two-way player. They also note that the 20-year-old Knueppel has already shown discipline with his game preparation, with recovery, studying opposing personnel’s tendencies and caring more about impacting the game.

“He’s not scared of a moment. He looks for and embraces every part of the journey,” Hornets head coach Charles Lee said. “Every day he comes into the building, he’s looking for ways to get better, to improve his body, to improve his mind, to improve his skills on the court. Then, when it comes to being able to compete at the highest level and having an understanding of what is needed of you on every possession, he possesses that. I think that’s very rare and unique to have a rookie come in and just have that obsession with daily improvement and the obsession to compete on every possession.”

Knueppel spoke with EssentiallySports about his early-season success, Rookie of the Year buzz and interest in participating in the NBA’s 3-point contest during the All-Star weekend (Feb. 13-15). Knueppel also shared about his game prep, embracing a next-play mentality and how that applied recently toward guarding Lakers star Luka Dončić.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed.

How do you evaluate what you’ve done so far?

Knueppel: “I feel good about it. I’m feeling really good about where the team is at the last couple of games. We’re playing a fun brand of basketball to play. We’re playing together. We’re starting to piece it together and get some wins.”

What have you been encouraged with recently?

Knueppel: “I think our attention to detail has taken a step to where it needs to be for us to win games more than earlier in the season. It’s hard to win in this league. We’re gaining an appreciation for the so-called ‘little things’ that aren’t so little.”

What are the examples of ‘little things?’

Knueppel: “I just think knowing the tendencies of players that we’re playing. I think of holding teams to one shot, boxing out, knowing what we’re doing offensively and knowing our plays and knowing our sets. That’s the little stuff that comes with being a professional.”

Beyond that, your coach said you watch a lot of film and that you’re not afraid of the moment. What do you think those two things have done for you?

Knueppel: “I think guys that watch film and have watched games and have an appreciation for that stuff gives them an advantage. That’s especially defensively. Athletically, I need those advantages. I need those things to help me prepare. But also with not being afraid. I just feel like I belong out here. I’ve felt like that from day one. Going out there and competing is really fun.”

How do those concepts apply to the Lakers’ game when you took on the challenge of defending Luka and sometimes LeBron?

Knueppel: “Yeah, obviously Luka had a really good game. So part of the challenge with those guys is that you know they’re going to shoot a lot of shots. So it’s about not getting discouraged when those shots go in. They make shots. They’re really good players. But you just try to make them be as inefficient as they can. I didn’t do a great job. Luka was pretty good. But he’s going to hit tough ones. So you just try to make it as tough as possible for them.”

But to your point, there were time/s it was successful. On the next play, you were often able to make an impact. What’s the key in being able to shift immediately?

Knueppel: “Coach K [Mike Krzyzewski] called it ‘next-play mentality.’ He invented that term. I think that just rings so true. It’s hard to do as a player. But to be successful, especially in this league, you have to. There are so many possessions. You just got to flush it. I got beat backdoor. I hit a 3, and then I’m pumped about it. And then I get beat backdoor for a layup. But he’s down on the ground, and we’re back on offense and we’re creating a break. So the game moves fast, and you got to move on with it.”

With the praise about your prep, what does that look like each day with your workouts, training and what you do to take care of your body?

Knueppel: “It’s really just the third one, to be honest. We had practice the other day and did some things team-wise. But you really just have to be ready to be available. We’re playing every other day, basically. So it makes it impossible to have individual workouts. We haven’t practiced at home for more than 20 days. That makes it really hard. I think that’s maybe a challenge that the fans don’t see. But it’s been really good, I think, for me with just appreciating what I have to do to get my body ready to play every day.”

With All-Star coming up, what would being part of Rising Stars and the 3-point contest mean to you?

Knueppel: “It would be sweet. I would enjoy it. It’s competition just like any other basketball game. I always enjoy competing.”

It’s early. But a few front office people and scouts told me that because you’ve been so consistent that they wouldn’t be surprised that you win ‘Rookie of the Year.’ What would that mean to you?

 Knueppel: “It’s always good to be recognized for hard work. That would be a great honor.”

Mark Medina is an NBA insider for EssentiallySports. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.