From trade rumors swirling around LaMelo Ball to a disappointing loss against an injury-depleted Pacers squad, it’s been a turbulent week for the Charlotte Hornets. And amid the chaos, rookie guard Kon Knueppel has emerged as one of the team’s few bright spots. His rise has been so impressive that he may have now surpassed his former college teammate in the Rookie of the Year race!

“No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg entered the season expected to win the league’s top rookie honor in a runaway, but the Dallas phenom’s biggest challenger could be his former Duke teammate. Knueppel, behind a rookie class-leading 18.3 points per contest and his 40% clip from 3, has already impressed scouts with his shooting stroke and feel for the game,” ESPN’s Tim Bontemps wrote in his recent article.

The former Duke superstar has been Charlotte’s best player this season, with both Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball struggling with injuries. So far, Knueppel is averaging an impressive 18.3 points per game along with 6.1 rebounds and 3 assists. While all these averages alone are hard to look past, what makes them even more impressive is the 20-year-old’s efficiency.

Knueppel is shooting 47.3 percent from the field, including an outstanding 40.3 percent from deep, which is exactly why ESPN’s Tim Bontemps thinks the 20-year-old guard might be the favorite over Cooper Flagg to win the Rookie of the Year honors this season.

That’s high praise for the Hornets’ rookie, but it’s hard to argue with it given Knueppel’s recent play. While Charlotte struggled against the Pacers, he delivered 28 points, 7 assists, and 8 rebounds. And his impact isn’t limited to the court. His recent off-court gesture also won over plenty of fans. All signs point to a rookie quickly becoming a franchise favorite.

That’s because Knueppel recently invited the entire team to his home for dinner just days before the Hornets faced the Bucks in his hometown of Milwaukee. His strong play on the court, paired with thoughtful gestures off it, has quickly elevated his reputation. And now, those qualities have even sparked comparisons to a four-time NBA champion and future Hall of Famer.

Kon Knueppel draws Klay Thompson comparisons for his elite shooting

The Charlotte Hornets might’ve struck gold with drafting Kon Knueppel as the No. 4 pick earlier this year. Even though we’re early into the season, from what we’ve seen, the 20-year-old looks like the real deal, which is huge given the rumors around LaMelo Ball. In fact, NBA reporter Tom Haberstroh thinks the Hornets star is quite similar to one-half of the Splash Brothers, Klay Thompson.

During his recent appearance on the Kevin O’Connor Show, when asked who he resembles the most, “It’s Klay Thompson,” he said. After which, Kevin O’Connor intervened, saying that he does more off the ball than Thompson, to which Haberstroh replied, “He does. I think Klay Thompson would agree that if it weren’t for the motion offense and the off-ball offense that Steve Kerr had for Stephen Curry, they’d be able to have a lot more dynamic offense off the dribble.”

“But if you look at his two-point assisted rate, like he’s on 60% of his twos, he’s getting assisted Knueppel in his rookie season. Exactly the same as Klay Thompson. And in terms of pure shooter, in terms of the footwork, you see it with Klay Thompson, it’s just like this guy is possibly his ceiling. The next Klay Thompson is one of the great shooters we’ve ever seen, but can also do stuff with the ball.”

The reporter pointed out that Knueppel isn’t just similar to Klay Thompson, but could be better than the Dallas Mavericks star. That’s because the Hornets’ rookie is much bigger than Klay Thompson. Not just that, according to Tom Haberstroh, he is also a much better ball handler and even has a textbook shooting form similar to that of the veteran.

Well, the comparison does make a lot of sense given that the rookie guard has himself stated that he’s watched a lot of film on Thompson and also likes to play like Jimmy Butler. All of which can be seen in his gameplay, which features some strong shooting and ball handling simultaneously.

Now, whether he’ll be able to sustain that as long as Klay did, that’ll be something worth watching in the near future.