Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel became the fastest player in NBA history to make 100 3-pointers in Monday night’s 139-132 loss to the Cavaliers in Cleveland.
Knueppel entered the game with 99 3s in 28 games. He made his 100th with 49.2 seconds left in the first quarter and finished the game 5-of-7 from distance for 20 points.
At 29 career games, Knueppel finished 12 games ahead of the next-fastest player to 100 3s (Lauri Markkanen in 2017-18). It took Warriors star Stephen Curry, the all-time leader in made 3s, 58 games to reach his first 100.
“I think it’s, No. 1, just his natural ability to shoot the ball,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said of Knueppel, according to The Charlotte Observer. “He’s got a phenomenal base to him. His early shot prep is good, mechanics to finish [with] the consistency of his shot. His mechanics are really good, so credit to dad and mom and [Duke] coach [Jon] Scheyer and all the people that helped build up just his overall shooting technique.”
Knueppel, 20, drafted with the No. 4 pick this past summer, is off to a blistering start to his NBA career. He entered Monday’s game averaging 19.4 points while shooting 40.9% from 3 on 8.6 attempts per game.
It was a hard-fought game against the Cavs, with 12 leads changes and 10 ties before intermission. The win snapped Cleveland’s three-game losing streak.
