Make your picks. Beat the host.

Take on Chuck in quick sports prediction challenges.

Play at beatchuck.com
Charlotte’s opening-night shooting takes a hit with Knueppel and White out cover
Back to RANT

Charlotte’s opening-night shooting takes a hit with Knueppel and White out

Individual court work is progress, but the Hornets still begin in Brooklyn without two prominent perimeter scorers.

Share this article

  • Charlotte’s first challenge is replacing the shooting it already knows it will be missing. Kon Knueppel, who made a league-leading 273 three-pointers last season, and Coby White will both miss Wednesday’s season opener at Brooklyn. Grant Williams is out as well.

    All three have resumed individual on-court activity, the Hornets announced Tuesday. The NBA’s 2 p.m. Eastern injury report confirms that none has been cleared for the 7:30 p.m. opener. Knueppel and Williams have hamstring strains; White has a left calf strain.

    That distinction matters for Charlotte’s opening rotation: the return to individual work has not yet produced clearance to play. The team’s announcement did not give a date for any of the three to return.

  • Make your call with Beat Chuck

    Check the challenge board for the latest open games.

    All Beat Chuck games →
    Chuck
  • Knueppel’s shooting leaves a sizeable gap

    Knueppel made 273 three-pointers last season, the NBA’s highest total, while shooting 42.5 percent from beyond the arc. He averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 81 games, according to the league’s report on his absence. His three-point total also broke Keegan Murray’s previous rookie record of 206.

    White’s absence takes another established scorer out of the opener. He suffered his calf strain during training camp on October 5 and missed the remainder of preseason. Charlotte acquired him from Chicago in February, and he later scored 19 points in the Hornets’ play-in victory over Miami, including the late three that forced overtime.

    Local reporting from WBTV, carried by WMBF, confirmed the three absences and reported that a return timetable remained unclear. Charlotte’s first game will therefore offer no immediate look at the group together, despite the improvement in their rehabilitation status.

  • The league’s afternoon report also lists Hornets guard Kylan Boswell out following right knee surgery. Brooklyn’s Tyler Bilodeau is out with a right shoulder sprain. Those are the listed absences at the 2 p.m. report; the injury designations can change before the opening tip.

    Sources