Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel has proven to be one of this year’s most talented newcomers in the NBA and is currently among the top candidates for Rookie of the Year, thanks to his elite scoring ability.
A Hornets executive revealed the team utilized an AI-driven analytics platform during the 2025 draft process to help identify and validate Knueppel as a top target.
Charlotte Hornets Credit AI for Drafting Kon Knueppel
While NBA teams have traditionally leaned on scouting reports, film study, and interviews, the rapid rise of artificial intelligence is reshaping how front offices evaluate talent. Ahead of the 2025 draft, the Hornets were approached by Invisible Technologies, which offered detailed scouting insights through its computer vision platform.
Charlotte’s VP of Basketball Insights and Analysis, Patrick Harrell, said the collaboration played a key role in selecting Knueppel fourth overall.
“Within weeks, Invisible provided us with an Al draft strategy that gifted us Kon Knueppel, the #4 overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2025 NBA draft,” Harrell said.
“He was named MVP of the NBA Summer League Championship game after leading the Hornets to victory. He scored 21 points in the final game, helping the Hornets defeat the Sacramento Kings. This win also marked the Hornets’ first-ever trophy and Summer League championship.”
According to Aaron Bawcom, Field CTO at Invisible Technologies, the company replicated the NBA’s multi-camera tracking system using single-point retail cameras and proprietary AI analysis, building a customized draft analytics solution in just nine days.
“We were able to replicate an existing multi-camera high fidelity networked camera system that the. NBA uses with single-point retail cameras and our AI analysis. We took those reusable components and used forward-deployed engineers to bring in a unique custom solution in nine days that led to a level of draft analytics that no one’s ever seen before,” he said.
While Knueppel was widely projected as a top pick, he has validated both traditional scouting and AI-driven analysis with an outstanding rookie campaign. He is averaging 19.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game, while shooting an efficient 48.7% from the field, 43.5% from three-point range, and 89.1% from the free-throw line.
His elite marksmanship has fueled the Hornets’ rise this season and earned him a spot in the NBA All-Star 3-Point Contest, where he finished third behind champion Damian Lillard and runner-up Devin Booker, even drawing high praise from Stephen Curry in the process.
He may ultimately fall short of Rookie of the Year honors to Cooper Flagg, but that would do little to diminish what has already been a remarkable debut season for the 20-year-old.
