The Charlotte Hornets seemingly got the exact news they did not want.

Not even six minutes into his regular season debut, Rookie of the Year runner up Kon Knueppel left a game Wednesday, Nov. 4 against the Brooklyn Nets, with what the team then called left leg soreness.

On the latest injury report that published Thursday, Nov. 5, however, the team confirmed that it was a left hamstring strain, which was the same injury that sidelined him for the season’s first eight games. The Hornets also already declared Knueppel out for their game Friday, Nov. 6 against the Boston Celtics.

The injury took place midway through the first quarter of Charlotte’s game against Brooklyn.

Although there didn’t appear to be a specific play in which Knueppel got hurt, he exited shortly after he dribbled the ball off his foot. During the play, Knueppel tried to dribble the ball behind his back but it caromed off his right leg, forcing him to take a small step as he tried to recover it. Immediately after the play, Knueppel limped but tried to stay in the game before quickly heading to the bench. He eventually went into the locker room and did not return.

After the game, Hornets coach Charles Lee told the local broadcast that he did not have an update on Knueppel and said he would be evaluated once the team returned to Charlotte later Wednesday.

Knueppel scored 3 points, all from free throws, missed his only shot attempt – a 3-pointer – and committed 2 turnovers in 5:51 on the floor against the Nets. He did not record any other statistic.

“Hopefully I can contribute in a capacity similar to last year, and with all the offseason work that I put in, even more,” Knueppel told the Hornets broadcast in a pregame interview. “It might take me a little bit to get to that full capability, but tonight I’ll be ready to go and help us get a win.”

Last season, his first in the NBA after the Hornets selected him with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Knueppel recorded 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He converted 3-pointers at a 42.5% clip and lost out to his college teammate at Duke, Cooper Flagg, for the Rookie of the Year honor.