Knueppel produced 11 points (3-10 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 4-5 FT), three rebounds, one assist and one steal in 29 minutes during Friday's 121-90 Play-In Game loss to the Magic.
Knueppel was one of the deadliest shooters from three-point range during his rookie season, connecting on 42.5 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc (on 7.9 3PA/G). However, he struggled toward the tail end of the campaign, and over his last six outings (including both Play-In Tournament games), he connected on just 29.5 percent of his field-goal attempts (including 23.8 percent of three-point tries) while averaging 10.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 0.7 steals over 31.5 minutes per game. Knueppel's disappointing end to 2025-26 shouldn't take away from his historic season, as he and former Duke teammate Cooper Flagg are both frontrunners for the NBA's Rookie of the Year award.