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Wings shut down questions about Fudd and Bueckers' relationship
The Charlotte Hornets defeated the Miami Heat in a thrilling play-in game, igniting discussions about the Rookie of the Year race and the team's future. Kon Knueppel's performance has raised questions about his impact on the award and the Hornets' prospects.
CHARLOTTE, NC - APRIL 14: Kon Knueppel #7, Sion James #4, and Grant Williams #2 of the Charlotte Hornets smiles before the game against the Miami Heat during the 2026 SoFi Play-In Tournament on April 14, 2026 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Charlotte Hornets beat Miami in a highly entertaining play-in game the other night, and it sparked a ton of conversation. Some of the themes: Kon Knueppel blew the Rookie of the Year race, the Hornets are in big trouble, and one more weāll get to in a minute.
The Rookie of the Year business is stupid. Itās going to be Knueppel or Flagg, if not both. One game is not going to change that.
And secondly, for anyone who has paid attention to Knueppel, heās not going to let that game control the next game. Heās too smart and too competitive to do that.
Third, Miami has one of the best cultures in the NBA, and in particular, one of the best defensive cultures in the league. They singled out the rookie, and took him down.
And fourth, while Knueppel had a bad game, Charlotte definitely didnāt.
On Friday, the Hornets will play the Orlando Magic for the final spot in the playoffs. Orlando has some talent, notably up front with former Dukies Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter.
The Charlotte Hornets won against the Miami Heat in a highly entertaining play-in game.
Kon Knueppel's performance is seen as pivotal in the Rookie of the Year race, potentially overshadowing other candidates.
The Hornets' win raises concerns about their overall performance and competitiveness in upcoming games.
The main contenders for the Rookie of the Year award are Kon Knueppel and Flagg.

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The teams played four times this season, with the Hornets winning three of those. Orlando won the first one, in October, but the Hornets won the other three quite easily.
Knueppel averaged 12.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assistsĀ per game in those games. It doesnāt mean the Hornets will win a third time, but it is a clear pattern.
Okay, back to what we said weād come back to. It turns out that LaMelo Ball had a key role in Charlotteās drafting Knueppel. In fact, his analysis of Knueppel was so impressive that Hornets GM Jeff Peterson said this about Ball:
ā[Ball] was very detailed in his evaluation of why he liked him. That was even more impressive that he was able to kind of highlight him because there were some other guys that he didnāt highlight. He may have a future in the front office if he wants.ā
Thatās pretty high praise.
That said, one other topic of conversation about Ball is his flagrant foul against Bam Adebayo. It was intentional and dangerous, and it may have cost Miami the game. Heās lucky to have only gotten a $35,000 dollar fine.
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