Rookie Breaks NBA Record
Rookie Kon Knueppel just became the fastest player to 200 threes in NBA history, etching his name in the record books during his debut season. The achievement highlights the evolving nature of basketball where rookies are immediately contributing at elite levels from beyond the arc. This record previously belonged to established veterans who took much longer to reach the milestone.
Knueppel shattered the previous record held by Duncan Robinson, who reached 200 three-pointers in 69 games. The rookie accomplished the feat 11 games faster, hitting the milestone in just his 58th career game. For perspective, it took arguably the greatest shooter of all time, Stephen Curry, 99 games to reach the same mark. The Charlotte Hornets rookie is now on the verge of breaking another record: the most three-pointers in a rookie season. Keegan Murray currently holds that title with 206 threes, a number Knueppel is poised to surpass with 23 games still remaining on the schedule. This historic shooting display has placed Knueppel firmly in the Rookie of the Year conversation. His main competition is his former Duke teammate and the number one draft pick, Cooper Flagg. While Flagg has been sidelined with an injury, Knueppel has been averaging 22.1 points per game in a scorching month of February. The Milwaukee native was a decorated high school player, earning the title of Wisconsin Mr. Basketball and leading his team to a state championship with an undefeated 30-0 record. He was the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft after a standout freshman season at Duke, where he was named the ACC tournament MVP.
