Overview
- Following Tuesday’s overtime win against Miami, Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel was benched for the final 7:49 of regulation and all of OT after shooting 2-for-12 and 0-for-6 from three.
- Prediction markets reacted to the cold night, with Kalshi moving Cooper Flagg ahead and dropping Knueppel from favorite to second for Rookie of the Year.
- The NBA has yet to distribute award ballots because of Luka Dončić’s “Extraordinary Circumstances” challenge, keeping voting open beyond the regular-season timeline.
- Former players and teammates urged perspective, as Chandler Parsons and Draymond Green cited Knueppel’s season-long impact and Sion James said he has no worries about the rookie.
- Context for voters: Knueppel played 81 games and led the league with 273 made threes for 44-win Charlotte, while Flagg averaged 21.0 points in 70 games for 26-56 Dallas before an ankle sprain ended his season.