After missing the first eight games of the regular season due to a left hamstring strain, Hornets sharpshooter Kon Knueppel has been upgraded to available for Wednesday’s game in Brooklyn and will make his season debut, according to the team (Twitter link).

Hornets head coach Charles Lee had said on Monday that Knueppel’s return was “right around the corner” and there was speculation that Wednesday would be his target date even before he was upgraded on Tuesday to probable.

Knueppel, 21, appeared in 81 games last season, averaging 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 31.5 minutes per night. The fourth overall pick in last year’s draft posted a strong shooting line of .475/.425/.863 and became the first rookie in NBA history to lead the league in made three-pointers. He finished as the Rookie of the Year runner-up to former Duke teammate Cooper Flagg.

Knueppel is one of two Hornets starters who was sidelined due to an injury to open the season. Coby White returned on Monday from a calf strain, but his debut didn’t solve Charlotte’ early-season offensive problems, notes Rod Boone of The Sporting News, as the Hornets mustered just 91 points in a blowout loss to Detroit and fell to 3-5.

Through their first eight games this fall, the Hornets have a 100.4 offensive rating, which ranks dead last in the NBA. While the offense isn’t expected to be as dangerous as it was last year with LaMelo Ball no longer leading the way, Knueppel’s return should help inject some life into a unit that had a 118.4 rating in 2025/26, including a 119.2 mark when the former Blue Devil was on the floor.

In other Hornets injury news, forward Grant Williams was assigned to the G League on Wednesday in order to practice with the Greensboro Swarm, per the team (Twitter link). Williams has yet to play this season due to a right hamstring strain, but today’s update suggests he may be nearing the end of his recovery process.