"Shoulda picked Bailey": NBA fans react as Hornets select Cooper Flagg's ex-teammate with 4th pick despite Ace Bailey slide

The Charlotte Hornets made Duke's Kon Knueppel the No. 4 pick in this year's NBA draft. Fans picked up on the development and shared their varying takes on it on social media.

19-year-old Knueppel was the second Blue Devils player selected in the top 4 of the draft proceedings at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday night. He followed Cooper Flagg, who was selected first by the Dallas Mavericks.

The versatile swing man was picked ahead of explosive Rutgers star Ace Bailey, who slid to No. 5 to the Utah Jazz.

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Fans gave their opinions on Knueppel's selection by the Hornets on X (formerly Twitter).

"They shoulda picked Bailey and traded down," a fan said. "Is he good?" one asked. "Someone sell me on Kon Knueppel to the Hornets at 4...." a user wrote. "Terrible pick. He's gonna be good but man the Hornets passed on talent," a fan asserted.

There were others though who commended the Hornets pick, seeing Knueppel being an asset for Charlotte.

"Definitely the best shooter in the draft," a fan said. "I love this. He’s 6’7” with long arms. The Hornets backcourt is huge now," another chimed in. "Knueppel? Bet he's a 3&D stud, can't wait to see him ball," a fan said.

Knueppel saw one season with Duke, averaging 14.4 points, shooting 47.9% from the field and 40.6% from 3-point territory. He also had four rebounds, 2.7 assists and a steal per game in 39 games while helping the Blue Devils reach the NCAA Final Four this year.

His skill set is seen by many pundits to complement well that of Charlotte All-Star LaMelo Ball and rising star Brandon Miller.

Kon Knueppel ready to get to work for the Charlotte Hornets

Kon Knueppel is excited to be selected by the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA draft and cannot wait to get to work and help the team.

He spoke about it in a Zoom call with Charlotte-area media after he was picked fourth overall by the Hornets, highlighting being familiar with the area after playing for Duke was a big plus for him.

Knueppel said:

“I’m super excited to be here, especially in an area I’m familiar with in North Carolina. Obviously, I’m coming in and just going to give it my all right away and be ready to work hard can hopefully affect winning in a big-time way.”

He shared what the team and its supporters can expect from him, saying:

“I think obviously the best part about my game is my shooting. And that’s something I’m always going to rely on, but I think there’s a lot more to me as a player than that. And so hopefully I’ll get there and keep getting better.”

In the Hornets, Knueppel joins a team that finished with a 19-63 record last season and missed the playoffs for the ninth straight year.

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash