Kon Air: The Kon Knueppel Thread

[vexco]

well i meant something equivalent for his position as a stumpy 6'4" SG not necessarily the literal exact same statline as Scottie Barnes

Didn't he measure out at 6'5" flat without shoes?

maybe with his best posture lol, everyone can see how he looks out on the floor and his wingspan

Ah ok, vibes say he's 6'4". I got you.

[JDR720]

He's a similar size as Miles was at the combine, believe it or not.

Height: Kon 6'5, Miles 6'5.25
Weight: Kon 219, Miles 220
Wingspan: Kon 6'6.25. Miles 6'9.25
Reach: Kon 8'5.50, Miles 8'7.5

Using Miles's shoe height as a estimate, Kon is about 6'6.5 in shoes.

[Chapelchilla]

I mean, if Kon as a rookie put up those stats we'd be a top 3 seed in the East.

He's, at best, the 4th or 5th scoring option. Something like 10/2/3 on above average efficiency is reasonable for what his role and playing time will be.


Rookies in general tend to not average high stats unless they're on bad teams and get to chuck, or are generational level players. Ace and Tre are going to be in the former category, so I'm sure it'll be fun comparing their stat lines to Kon's while ignoring context. Ace is probably going to average 20pts on 20 shots and Tre will probably average 18pts on 15 shots or something like that.

Right! He is there to help the Hornets, not save them. That's more Melo and Miller's role at this stage of their careers. We did not chose Kon over Barnes, Amen or even VJ, it is a dumb argument.

[KembaWalker]

He's a similar size as Miles was at the combine, believe it or not.

Height: Kon 6'5, Miles 6'5.25
Weight: Kon 219, Miles 220
Wingspan: Kon 6'6.25. Miles 6'9.25
Reach: Kon 8'5.50, Miles 8'7.5

Using Miles's shoe height as a estimate, Kon is about 6'6.5 in shoes.

the difference in wingspan makes one look like a stumpy guard that is gonna get half his layups sent to the 5th row and a SF that can masquerade as a PF

[Chapelchilla]

He's a similar size as Miles was at the combine, believe it or not.

Height: Kon 6'5, Miles 6'5.25
Weight: Kon 219, Miles 220
Wingspan: Kon 6'6.25. Miles 6'9.25
Reach: Kon 8'5.50, Miles 8'7.5

Using Miles's shoe height as a estimate, Kon is about 6'6.5 in shoes.

Yep, and he just got 10 rbs. But, don't let facts get in the way! lol. I'm sure he will play like a rookie here and there and that's part of the process.

[SWedd523]

He just got 10 rebounds!

[Chapelchilla]

He just got 10 rebounds!

Yeah!

[fatlever]

He's a similar size as Miles was at the combine, believe it or not.

Height: Kon 6'5, Miles 6'5.25
Weight: Kon 219, Miles 220
Wingspan: Kon 6'6.25. Miles 6'9.25
Reach: Kon 8'5.50, Miles 8'7.5

Using Miles's shoe height as a estimate, Kon is about 6'6.5 in shoes.

the difference in wingspan makes one look like a stumpy guard that is gonna get half his layups sent to the 5th row and a SF that can masquerade as a PF

at this point I just assume you are rooting for him to fail so that you can tell everyone that you were right. Is that where we are as a fan base?

[JDR720]

He's a similar size as Miles was at the combine, believe it or not.

Height: Kon 6'5, Miles 6'5.25
Weight: Kon 219, Miles 220
Wingspan: Kon 6'6.25. Miles 6'9.25
Reach: Kon 8'5.50, Miles 8'7.5

Using Miles's shoe height as a estimate, Kon is about 6'6.5 in shoes.

the difference in wingspan makes one look like a stumpy guard that is gonna get half his layups sent to the 5th row and a SF that can masquerade as a PF

If you want a role/playstyle comparison, he's slightly larger than Desmond Bane was at the same age.

https://www.nbadraft.net/players/desmond-bane

Measured 6’4 without shoes, 6’5 with shoes, 219 lbs, with a 6’4 wingspan and 8’4 standing reach at the June 2017 USA U19 tryouts … All Big 12 Second Team 2018-2019. All Big 12 First Team (2019-20).

He's also basically the same size as Austin Reaves.

[KembaWalker]

He's a similar size as Miles was at the combine, believe it or not.

Height: Kon 6'5, Miles 6'5.25
Weight: Kon 219, Miles 220
Wingspan: Kon 6'6.25. Miles 6'9.25
Reach: Kon 8'5.50, Miles 8'7.5

Using Miles's shoe height as a estimate, Kon is about 6'6.5 in shoes.

Yep, and he just got 10 rbs. But, don't let facts get in the way! lol. I'm sure he will play like a rookie here and there and that's part of the process.

im really lost on this logic that i need to reevaluate the guy cause of a single summer league game lol. so i need to lower my expectations because hes a rookie but you simultaneously want me to raise my expectations of him sucking because he got 10 rebounds in a brickfest game?

[SWedd523]

He's a similar size as Miles was at the combine, believe it or not.

Height: Kon 6'5, Miles 6'5.25
Weight: Kon 219, Miles 220
Wingspan: Kon 6'6.25. Miles 6'9.25
Reach: Kon 8'5.50, Miles 8'7.5

Using Miles's shoe height as a estimate, Kon is about 6'6.5 in shoes.

the difference in wingspan makes one look like a stumpy guard that is gonna get half his layups sent to the 5th row and a SF that can masquerade as a PF

at this point I just assume you are rooting for him to fail so that you can tell everyone that you were right. Is that where we are as a fan base?

I think there's a good bit of gray area between "rooting for him to fail so you can tell everyone that you were right" and "never wanted the team to draft him, think he's not that good, the wrong pick, and not acting like it's sunshine and daisies just because he's on the team"

[Braggins]

He doesn't really play like Bane and is not similar athletically. He is more similar to Bojan Bogdanovic with a bit more passing.

[KembaWalker]

He's a similar size as Miles was at the combine, believe it or not.

Height: Kon 6'5, Miles 6'5.25
Weight: Kon 219, Miles 220
Wingspan: Kon 6'6.25. Miles 6'9.25
Reach: Kon 8'5.50, Miles 8'7.5

Using Miles's shoe height as a estimate, Kon is about 6'6.5 in shoes.

the difference in wingspan makes one look like a stumpy guard that is gonna get half his layups sent to the 5th row and a SF that can masquerade as a PF

If you want a role/playstyle comparison, he's slightly larger than Desmond Bane was at the same age.

https://www.nbadraft.net/players/desmond-bane

Measured 6’4 without shoes, 6’5 with shoes, 219 lbs, with a 6’4 wingspan and 8’4 standing reach at the June 2017 USA U19 tryouts … All Big 12 Second Team 2018-2019. All Big 12 First Team (2019-20).

yeah, i'd have a different opinion of Kon Knueppel if we drafted him where Desmond Bane was drafted, which is why you dont see me complaining about McNeeley even though I bagged on him as a potential Hornet prospect the same way all last season. its not a good archetype, and even Bane is laterally zippy compared to Kon

[Chapelchilla]

Kon is not some unknown to the NBA or local fanbase wild card pick. He played at DUKE and was the ACC tourney MVP. No one needs to act like his track record consists solely of summer league games. His mock range was top 7 at worst.

https://nbadraft.theringer.com/mock-draft

[KembaWalker]

He's a similar size as Miles was at the combine, believe it or not.

Height: Kon 6'5, Miles 6'5.25
Weight: Kon 219, Miles 220
Wingspan: Kon 6'6.25. Miles 6'9.25
Reach: Kon 8'5.50, Miles 8'7.5

Using Miles's shoe height as a estimate, Kon is about 6'6.5 in shoes.

the difference in wingspan makes one look like a stumpy guard that is gonna get half his layups sent to the 5th row and a SF that can masquerade as a PF

at this point I just assume you are rooting for him to fail so that you can tell everyone that you were right. Is that where we are as a fan base?

I dunno, I wanted Thomas Robinson and really wanted Anthony Bennett and was sad when he got picked, if I cared about that kind of cred I would have made a new account. i just dont really care to flip on the homerism switch for every guy we draft and pretend i like them anymore, especially for someone that i really extremely did not want to draft. i would be happy if he succeeded, I called him Koncic after that 3rd quarter but im not gonna just pretend that i think the dude is some super talent now that hes on my team. ive done that enough times now and looked dumb just about every time

[KembaWalker]

Kon is not some unknown to the NBA or local fanbase wild card pick. He played at DUKE and was the ACC tourney MVP. No one needs to act like his track record consists solely of summer league games. His mock range was top 7 at worst.

https://nbadraft.theringer.com/mock-draft

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/awards/men/acc-tourney-mvp.html

great...

[fatlever]

the difference in wingspan makes one look like a stumpy guard that is gonna get half his layups sent to the 5th row and a SF that can masquerade as a PF

at this point I just assume you are rooting for him to fail so that you can tell everyone that you were right. Is that where we are as a fan base?

I think there's a good bit of gray area between "rooting for him to fail so you can tell everyone that you were right" and "never wanted the team to draft him, think he's not that good, the wrong pick, and not acting like it's sunshine and daisies just because he's on the team"

yeah maybe... but...
I think it's one thing to say hey I don't agree with this pick. I think it was the wrong pick. We'll look back on this day 4 years from now and see that the correct pick should have been XYZ.
Versus a non stop constant barrage of disparaging comments after every single comment bit of news, or games. To the point where acting like he is just an absolute garbage player barely worthy of a 1st round pick.
So yes I think there is a subset of posters on this board that are actively rooting for him to fail so that they can say that they were right. I think some people would rather be right about him being terrible than to have kon at least be a solid pick.
I have no doubt that if he plays tonight and doesn't have a good game that the pitchforks will be out in full force, And then if he does have a good game it will just be whatever it's summer league he still sucks.
Can we at least give this guy a year and a half to decide Whether or not he was a terrible pick?
And what makes this probably more difficult as he's never probably going to be the player that puts up gaudy stats... So even if he does end up being a good pick it's probably going to be a lot of him making other people better and having mediocre stats. And that will be compared against guys putting up big stats on bad teams as the ultimate comparison. Like I'm pretty sure there's not a world where three years from now Kon is averaging more points than either Ace or Tre. not gonna happen because that's never going to be his role. I'm going to accept anything less regardless of how he plays or fits in with the team or how the team plays when he's on the court.
It's not too dissimilar from the moose versus mark comments last year. Mark clearly had more talent and he put up really good numbers 15 and 10 on good percentages. But the Hornets were unquestionably, without a doubt, a better team when Moose was on the floor.
So it's possible this could be a sum of the parts situation, but looking at it in a vacuum black and white...???
I don't know if he was the right pick or the wrong pick. I have stated my preference numerous times that my number one option would have been do what it takes to trade up to 3 to get VJ and then I probably would have taken Tre, then kon. I mostly was just not interested in adding Ace to this team, as We discussed at length, pre-draft. But I'm 100 percent on board with him now and I'm going to support this dude and I hope he absolutely kills it. And I think people writing off the pick before he's played 1 second of actual NBA games is a little bit ridiculous. can we just at least give this guy some time?
He may not have been the absolute best pick in hindsight. we won't know that for several years. but, I certainly don't think this is some apocalyptic pick on the likes of other Hornets busts.

[KembaWalker]

at this point I just assume you are rooting for him to fail so that you can tell everyone that you were right. Is that where we are as a fan base?

I think there's a good bit of gray area between "rooting for him to fail so you can tell everyone that you were right" and "never wanted the team to draft him, think he's not that good, the wrong pick, and not acting like it's sunshine and daisies just because he's on the team"

yeah maybe... but...
I think it's one thing to say hey I don't agree with this pick. I think it was the wrong pick. We'll look back on this day 4 years from now and see that the correct pick should have been XYZ.
Versus a non stop constant barrage of disparaging comments after every single comment bit of news, or games. To the point where acting like he is just an absolute garbage player barely worthy of a 1st round pick.
So yes I think there is a subset of posters on this board that are actively rooting for him to fail so that they can say that they were right. I think some people would rather be right about him being terrible than to have kon at least be a solid pick.
I have no doubt that if he plays tonight and doesn't have a good game that the pitchforks will be out in full force, And then if he does have a good game it will just be whatever it's summer league he still sucks.
Can we at least give this guy a year and a half to decide Whether or not he was a terrible pick?
And what makes this probably more difficult as he's never probably going to be the player that puts up gaudy stats... So even if he does end up being a good pick it's probably going to be a lot of him making other people better and having mediocre stats. And that will be compared against guys putting up big stats on bad teams as the ultimate comparison. Like I'm pretty sure there's not a world where three years from now Kon is averaging more points than either Ace or Tre. not gonna happen because that's never going to be his role. I'm going to accept anything less regardless of how he plays or fits in with the team or how the team plays when he's on the court.
It's not too dissimilar from the moose versus mark comments last year. Mark clearly had more talent and he put up really good numbers 15 and 10 on good percentages. But the Hornets were unquestionably, without a doubt, a better team when Moose was on the floor.
So it's possible this could be a sum of the parts situation, but looking at it in a vacuum black and white...???
I don't know if he was the right pick or the wrong pick. I have stated my preference numerous times that my number one option would have been do what it takes to trade up to 3 to get VJ and then I probably would have taken Tre, then kon. I mostly was just not interested in adding Ace to this team, as We discussed at length, pre-draft. But I'm 100 percent on board with him now and I'm going to support this dude and I hope he absolutely kills it. And I think people writing off the pick before he's played 1 second of actual NBA games is a little bit ridiculous. can we just at least give this guy some time?
He may not have been the absolute best pick in hindsight. we won't know that for several years. but, I certainly don't think this is some apocalyptic pick on the likes of other Hornets busts.

my comment that sparked this was literally "why are everyones expectations so low, why is EVERYONE seemingly not holding him to the standard of other recent 4th overall picks" i didnt even say anything myself. i just think its funny that Kon and Liam are being bucketed together as basically equivalent prospects by nearly everyone (not just me) already. i didn't even disparage him. im being told to NOT hold him to the recent bars set by Amen, Scottie, Castle at his slot while simultaneously being told to stop saying hes a crappy pick. pick a lane lol

[fatlever]

the difference in wingspan makes one look like a stumpy guard that is gonna get half his layups sent to the 5th row and a SF that can masquerade as a PF

at this point I just assume you are rooting for him to fail so that you can tell everyone that you were right. Is that where we are as a fan base?

I think there's a good bit of gray area between "rooting for him to fail so you can tell everyone that you were right" and "never wanted the team to draft him, think he's not that good, the wrong pick, and not acting like it's sunshine and daisies just because he's on the team"

And just to say it's kind of ironic lately that you've been calling out people that are annoyed at the negativity surrounding the offseason... It's funny because you did the exact same thing to me multiple times in 2021 2022 after those two disastrous off seasons and I was furious, rightfully so. And you snapped me one time about being too negative and ruining the board (paraphrasing). Funny how that's changed.

[JDR720]

yeah, i'd have a different opinion of Kon Knueppel if we drafted him where Desmond Bane was drafted, which is why you dont see me complaining about McNeeley even though I bagged on him as a potential Hornet prospect the same way all last season. its not a good archetype, and even Bane is laterally zippy compared to Kon

Kon was, at worst, a top 7-8 pick. His archetype isn't any better (or worse) than Tre's (all-offense, no defense scoring guard) or Ace (upside with maturity issues.)

And this team already has better versions of both Tre (Melo) and Ace (Miller) so we took Kon to balance the offense out.

The only ideal fit was VJ, when he went #3 then Kon was the most logical fit. He meshes very well with Melo/Miller, he doesn't have intangible issues, and he's a team-first type of player.