Hornets
The Hornets are winning. And that’s helping rookie Kon Knueppel win a little attention, too.
According to Christian Clark of The Athletic, Charlotte coach Charles Lee believes Knueppel has taken the lead in the Rookie of the Year race — particularly with the Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg missing time due to a foot injury.
“I don’t even think it’s close,” Lee said.
Flagg once looked like the clear favorite after a 49-point explosion against Charlotte in late January. But the Hornets have gone 15-3 since then, and Knueppel has been right in the middle of it.
Statistically, the numbers are fairly tight. Flagg holds slight edges in scoring, rebounds and assists. But Knueppel has been the more efficient scorer and one of the league’s most dangerous shooters.
The Charlotte wing is hitting 43.5 percent from three-point range and has knocked down 212 triples this season, 15 more than second-place Tyrese Maxey.
He’s also played more games than Flagg and, perhaps most importantly, is doing it for a team that’s suddenly winning.
Grizzlies
The Grizzlies liked what they saw from guard Rayan Rupert during his brief stay. So they’re keeping him.
After his 10-day contract expired, Memphis re-signed Rupert to a two-way deal. The 21-year-old had originally been waived by the Trail Blazers last month.
Rupert made the most of his short audition, averaging 10.4 points and 5.8 rebounds in nearly 27 minutes per game while shooting .452 from the field.
To create space, Memphis promoted Olivier-Maxence Prosper to a standard contract, essentially swapping Rupert into the two-way slot. Rupert can now appear in up to 11 additional NBA games the rest of the season.
NBA Draft
Top prospect AJ Dybantsa may be the projected No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft. But the BYU star says nothing is guaranteed.
“I might not leave college,” Dybantsa said in an interview with the Deseret News. “My mom wants me to graduate.”
Players say things like that every year. Sometimes it’s leverage. Sometimes it’s just honesty.
Either way, if Dybantsa actually stayed in school, it would be one of the most surprising decisions for a potential top pick in modern draft history.
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