Through five games, the Charlotte Hornets are 3-2 without Kon Knueppel, Coby White, or Grant Williams. All three went down before the preseason began, and none of them have played a single minute so far.

The record in their absence is inspiring, but the numbers are not. The offense has struggled mightily, and losing Knueppel has played a big role in that. He is an incredible shooter, so not only are his made threes missing, but so is his spacing.

From the beginning, the injury updates have been vague, but for the first time, we have something concrete on Knueppel. Instead of remaining "without a timetable," Knueppel appears to be closing in on a return.

The Hornets officially assigned Knueppel to the Greensboro Swarm for practice on Thursday. That means he's able to actually practice, so while the Hornets do not have a session, they still wanted him to get some action.

Typically, this transfer only lasts a few hours or a day. Knueppel will probably be back on the NBA roster soon and available to play. We don't have an official timeline from Charlotte, but historically, these things have moved fast.

The Hornets will get Knueppel back in the lineup sooner rather than later, but he may be on a minutes restriction for a bit. Famously, the Hornets were very cautious with injuries last year, so there's no reason to expect them to throw Knueppel into the deep end right away.

Unfortunately, the Hornets did not provide any update on White or Williams. Williams strained his hamstring on the same day Knueppel did, so it is not unreasonable to think he could be back soon.

But for now, both he and White remain out indefinitely. In the meantime, the Hornets have been getting starts from Dennis Schröder and Sion James. James will likely return to a reserve role when Knueppel is activated.

Grayson Allen's minutes may take a hit, although he's played well enough to justify playing a lot when Knueppel is healthy. Either way, for the first time all season, the Hornets are getting some good news on the injury front.

Brandon Miller's efficiency has been called into question plenty as the season continues getting underway, and having Knueppel back will help him tremendously. Those two are now the faces of the franchise, but they have yet to play together in 2026-27.