When you play Basketball at Duke University with Cooper Flagg there is going to be a shadow. People cannot always get a good view of you without sunlight. Well, they have a great view of Kon Kueppel now, after he has had an exception first half to the 2025-26 NBA season. At this point, Vegas says rookie of the year odds favor Cooper Flagge – who is playing exceptionally well at Dallas – but not far behind Cooper is his Duke teammate, Kon Knueppel. Kon is steadily demonstration that he can score in the NBA while he puts up good all around numbers, night after night.
The value of all his NBA Rookie Trading Cards are reflecting his play on the court.
Are you watching this? Probably not. Unless you attend Hornet’s basketball games, or, well, I don’t know, your NBA basketball consumption includes a team not often shown on TV. It’s not on the nightly dunk highlights. It is even difficult to see if Kon is in your arena for a night as a member of the away team. That one time view, allows you to say, he was hot that night. It’s not flashy, and it doesn’t hit you like a lightning bolt. Nevertheless, Kon Knueppel it the brand new latest NBA phenom. Along with his Duke teammate Cooper, they are the phenom diaper babies of the League.
If you think he is a flash in the pan, hold onto your socks. This wave is steady, fundamental, and quite ‘ole’ school. Like a Larry Bird kinda not flashy player in his style. At the end of the night is when his talent shows up. When you take a look at his state sheet, his talent shows up. If you do this after every game that Kon Knueppel plays, it is evident that this kid can play.
He is young and good at playing the game of basketball.
I had my doubts in his early Duke days, but friends who had watched Kon Knueppel play kept telling me how good of a basketball player he was in their view. After a few games and targeting my eyes on him, I understood how good he is at the basic fundamentals of the game.
bably not unless you go to
CHARLOTTE — Kon Knueppel was laughing at himself. Chuckling, anyway, as he went through some video clips from last season, breaking down the plays, comparing himself to himself. It’s one of several dozen ways he keeps pushing to improve in his job with the Charlotte Hornets.
“I was actually watching some old college tape,” Knueppel told NBA.com this week, a smile crossing his face, “and I think I’ve gotten so much better. Watching some Duke tape, I was like, ‘Man, I was [missing] a lot of bunnies around the rim.’ I just think the work I put in pre-Draft and the offseason really prepared me to be ready to go. And to contribute right away.
“I used to do it year to year. Last year I watched my high school stuff and each year, I’d watch the previous year. You can kind of see areas of growth and I think that’s cool.”
There’s a lot of growing and learning going on in Charlotte through the first half of 2025-26. The Hornets have four rookies, each making his mark at a different pace.
There’s Knueppel, of course, who sits atop the latest Kia Rookie Ladder. The 6-foot-6 native of Milwaukee and No. 4 pick overall last June has been locked in a 1-2 duel all season with his Duke teammate from last season, Dallas Mavericks big man Cooper Flagg, in the weekly rankings that track the league’s newcomers and their progress toward All-Rookie teams and the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy for the Rookie of the Year.
But wait, there’s more: Hornets President of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson selected Duke guard Sion James and Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner with the Nos. 33 and 34 picks. A few days after the Draft, he picked up UConn forward Liam McNeely, the No. 29 pick, in a trade with Phoenix.
The moves deepened the Hornets’ talent base but upped its youth quotient. Eleven of the 18 players on the roster are under 25, and seven haven’t yet turned 24. Even a few prominent veterans — Miles Bridges (27 years old) LaMelo Ball (24) and Brandon Miller (23) — are still establishing themselves in the league. That influx of young guys could have altered the dynamics of coach Charles Lee’s locker room.
“I knew the four guys we were bringing in … they were just so secure in themselves,” Peterson said. “They’re about their team and that we win. And they all complement each other.”
Every GM is looking for that Goldilocks roster: neither too old nor too young. At the Hornets’ end of the time continuum, the skills and the energy are there, but experience and wisdom can’t be rushed.
“It’s like a collective patience,” Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said when asked what a young team needs most. “Not just as a coaching staff but as an organization. Make sure your processes are right. And if you’re not winning, how are guys developing? You can measure that.”
Atkinson has seen all sorts of roster constructions from previous stops with the New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, LA Clippers and now, the Cavs.
“Especially with the talent they have – lottery talent all around – it starts to turn,” he said. “That’s what you’re seeing with this team. A ton of talent, they’re starting to jell, guys are improving and you can see it. That road trip they just had [going 3-2 out West] was phenomenal.”
So far, the Hornets’ rookies have been an elixir, their contributions outweighing any hard lessons.
“The way they come in the building every day with their energy, with their curiosity to learn,” Lee said. “Even from the standpoint of Liam [who has split time in the NBA G League], he’s brought a new term for us to break our huddles. Most of our huddles now we break, ‘Hive on three.’ ‘One, two, three, hive!’ First day of summer league, he said it. It stuck throughout the offseason. We still use it and we love it.”
After the first month and a half of the NBA season, it was clear that Cooper Flagg would be the most prolific rookie in the NBA. Flagg, who left Duke after his freshman season, was picked first overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2025 NBA Draft, but there’s another one-and-done Blue Devil who at time has been overshadowing his high profile former teammate. Kon
After the first month and a half of the NBA season, it was clear that Cooper Flagg would be the most prolific rookie in the NBA.
Flagg, who left Duke after his freshman season, was picked first overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2025 NBA Draft, but there’s another one-and-done Blue Devil who at time has been overshadowing his high profile former teammate.
Kon Knueppel’s rookie cards may not be outselling Flagg, but he’s making the 2025-26 rookie class more than just a one trick pony.
From the moment the season tipped off, the hype machine was already locked in on Flagg. He was the generational talent whose cards would dominate breaks, headlines, and long-term investment conversations. Topps rightfully signed him to an endorsement deal and put him on the cover of its first basketball set in 15 years. Collectors prepared accordingly, stacking Flagg rookies and treating the rest of the class as supporting cast.
Then Kon Kneuppel happened.
Kneuppel has quietly emerged as perhaps the most impactful rookie of the season — flipping expectations on their head and forcing collectors to reconsider where true value lies.
From Afterthought to Impact Player
Knueppel entered the season respected but rarely spotlighted. Scouts liked his fundamentals, his intelligence and his shooting touch, but few predicted immediate dominance. He wasn’t marketed as a franchise-saver or a highlight-reel phenom. Instead, he looked like a long-term development piece.
That narrative didn’t last long.
Game after game, Knueppel was dictating tempo. His efficiency, poise, and ability to rise in big moments quickly separated him from the pack. While Flagg carried the pressure of massive expectations, Knueppel simply played on a team with little expectations. He thrived.
The result? A rookie race that suddenly looks far more open than anyone anticipated.
For collectors, sustainability matters just as much as flash. Knueppel’s appeal isn’t built on viral highlights alone. It’s rooted in traits that tend to age well.
Knueppel has elite shooting mechanics that translate across systems. He has a high basketball IQ, allowing him to adapt rather than force plays. His composure under pressure is a quality rarely seen in a rookie.
These are the players who earn minutes, roles, and second contracts — and those milestones often correlate directly with card value stability.
The Hobby Catches Up
At first, Knueppel’s cards lagged behind his on-court performance. Early collectors scooped up rookies at modest prices, while most hobby dollars for NBA rookies remained locked in Flagg cards. But as Knueppel’s stat lines and late-game moments piled up, the market responded.
In November, when he averaged nearly 20 points per game – searches for “Kon Knueppel” in eBay.com’s collectibles category increased by more than 650% compared to the month prior
Within a month of the season starting, low-numbered parallels and autos started selling within minutes rather than weeks. What was once a speculative buy became a recognized breakout play.
The most telling sign? Collectors stopped asking if Knueppel was legit — and started asking how high his ceiling might be.
Flagg vs. Kneuppel: A Hobby Lesson
This isn’t a knock on Flagg, whose talent remains undeniable. But the contrast between expectation and reality has created one of the most fascinating rookie storylines in years.
It is especially interesting because they were freshman teammates at Duke last season, when Flagg was drawing all of the attention and Knueppel was “that other guy”.
Flagg entered as the assumed king of the class. Knueppel entered as the value pick.
From the beginning of the 2024-25 college season, Flagg was the most talked about player in the NCAA. He was a future franchise player. But Knueppel came in as a 6’6” two-guard who led Wisconsin Lutheran High School to a 30-0 record and a state Division 2 championship. The Milwaukee native averaged 26.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game and was named Wisconsin’s Mr. Basketball.
At Duke, he started his one-year career with an 18-point effort in an 82-56 win over Maine. He was named ACC Rookie of the Week. He was a model of consistency through the year, earning ACC All-Freshman Team honors, Second-team All-ACC honors, and he was the ACC Tournament MVP.
After being selected fourth overall in the NBA Draft, Knueppel led the Hornets to the 2025 NBA Summer League Championship and was named Summer League MVP.
Knueppel turned it up a notch in the NBA. He was nominated for NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week on Nov. 23 after averaging more than 26 points, five rebounds and three assists over four games.
Knueppel was named the Eastern conference Rookie of the Month for November.
He also set a couple of NBA records – fastest player to make 50 three pointers (15 games) and most three-pointers over first 17 games with 63 (previous record was 47.)
The next phase of his market growth will depend on sustainability — second-half production, playoff moments, awards consideration, and national exposure.
If he can carry the Hornets into playoff contention, that would be huge.
But for now, the story is clear: Kon Knueppel has disrupted the script. In a season that was supposed to belong to Cooper Flagg, Knueppel has carved out his own spotlight — and collectors who noticed early are already reaping the benefits.
Some Big Knueppel Sales
Thanks to NIL, Knueppel does already have a fair amount of cards dating back to his year at Duke but Topps has just started rolling out products under the first year of its new, exclusive license. His base Topps rookie card has a mountain of parallels and he’s in a variety of insert sets, too.
His base autographs from Topps can still be found for $125-$175.
Not counting cards with multiple players and autographs, the biggest Knueppel sale on eBay happened in November when his 2025-26 Topps Chrome 1/1 Rookie Superfractor sold ungraded for $7,000. It was the second sale of the card on eBay this season as it first same card sold for $3,500 in October, meaning the card’s selling price doubled in just a month.
The largest sale for a 2024-25 Bowman U Chrome Knueppel card on eBay was in an auction that ended Nov. 21. The card is PSA 10 black gold autograph serial numbered out of 24. The card had 57 bids in an eBay auction and sold for $3,950.
By contrast, back in September before the season started, the 2024 Bowman Chrome U Campus Dorms Rookie Autograph 1/1 PSA 10 sold in an eBay fixed price sale for $2,800. Analytics and comparisons would indicate that the same card would sell for roughly double of what it was sold for three months ago.
While the skyrocketing value of Knueppel’s high-end cards are driving attention and demand for all of his cards, there are affordable ways to get in on his RCs. Base Topps rookie cards from the flagship set released at the start of his rookie season can be had for just a few bucks. His newly arriving Chrome rookie cards are bringing in the range of $7-$15 in early sales. However, the days of Knueppel cards selling for less than a buck like we saw not that long ago are coming to an end.
So is there a hobby dilemma of which freshman draft pick from Duke should collectors go for?
Flagg remains the long-term blue-chip name of the class and anointed future superstar, but Knueppel represents the classic “performance-driven riser.” In hobby terms, Flagg is the safe hold — Knueppel is the opportunity play. Historically, the biggest gains often come from the latter.
But it really all comes down to the collector. What do you collect? Are you a collector, or are buying to flip the card in a few months? Are you a long term investor?
So which rookie do you buy?
If there is a correct answer, it’s both.
