CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kon Knueppel and LaMelo Ball have something in common with the Splash Brothers.
The backcourt duo of the Hornets are the first teammates to finish 1-2 in the NBA in 3-pointers since Golden State guards Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Now they’re hoping to help Charlotte snap a 10-year playoff drought, the longest in league history.
After shattering the NBA rookie record for 3s in a season, Knueppel went on to lead the league with 273 while shooting 42.5% from beyond the arc.
Ball was right behind with 272 made on 36.8% shooting.
“I think it’s pretty cool — they must have a great coach that allows them to shoot that many 3s,” quipped Charlotte coach Charles Lee.
All kidding aside, the Hornets finally seem to have found an identity on offense under Lee and seem headed in the right direction after nearly a decade of floundering near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
You can bet the 3s will be flying Tuesday night when the Hornets host the Miami Heat in the 9 vs. 10 NBA play-in tournament game — the first postseason home game for Charlotte in a decade.
To reach an actual playoff series for the first time since 2015-16, the Hornets will need to beat the Heat and then defeat the loser of the 7-8 matchup between Philadelphia and Orlando.
Knueppel has been the shot in the arm the Hornets franchise needed.
He was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month four times and leads all first-year players with 36 20-point games. He passed six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan for the NBA rookie record for most games with 20-plus points on 65% true shooting with 27.
“Kon is like my brother for real, and I love playing with him,” Ball said. “He’s such a great shooter it makes our whole team better the way we play off each other.”
They’re different type of players, Ball and Knueppel.
Ball loves to create separation with a step-back 3 and his shot is highly unorthodox, often shooting off one foot. Knueppel has a textbook jumper that almost never changes from shot to shot, and while he’s best known as being a catch-and-shoot player, he regularly uses a side dribble to escape oncoming defenders and create open looks for himself.
Yet somehow they have meshed on the floor.
Knueppel entered the final regular-season game three 3s ahead of Ball, but the point guard nearly caught him when he hit five 3s in the finale.
Had Ball taken and made another 3 in the fourth quarter, he could have shared the league lead with Knueppel.
“Well, we were passing each other good looks and trying to make the right reads,” Knueppel said of the team’s win against the New York Knicks. “It wasn’t like somebody was going in there jacking (up shots). We were passing back and forth trying to make the right play. It just so happened to be me.”
Lee said that’s typical of what he has seen all season long from his team — unselfish basketball.
“Those two guys, they work so hard on their craft,” Lee said. “One thing I like is our team’s unselfishness to create those looks for them with the drives and kicks. And it’s impressive that our guards and our bigs are setting such great looks to get these guys clean looks.”
The Hornets aren’t just a two-man show.
Brandon Miller is another high-end shooter with 204 3s this season and might have been right there with Knueppel and Ball had he not missed 17 games due to injury. Miles Bridges can also shoot the 3, although he’s best known more for his ability to get to the basket and his athleticism in finishing off alley-oops on the break.
And then there’s Coby White, who has been a huge addition coming off the bench after being acquired in a midseason deal with the Chicago Bulls.
He has 43 3-pointers in 21 games with the Hornets.
And don’t forget undersized center Moussa Diabate, who creates open 3s by kicking the ball outside after an offensive rebound.
Now it’s time to find out if all of those 3-pointers can translate into playoff wins as it once did for the Splash Brothers.
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