Charlotte confirms three absences for Brooklyn trip
The Charlotte Hornets have ruled Kon Knueppel, Coby White and Grant Williams out of their regular-season opener at the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, October 21. Charlotte announced their status on Tuesday as preparations continued for the trip to Barclays Center.
Knueppel is recovering from a left hamstring injury, White from a left calf injury and Williams from a right hamstring injury. The club said all three were doing individual on-court work, while confirming they would be unavailable for opening night.
That progress in rehabilitation does not amount to clearance for competition. Charlotte has not announced a return date for any of the three players and said further updates would follow when appropriate.
The hamstring problems affecting Knueppel and Williams were announced on September 25 after offseason court work. Their initial timetable called for reassessment during the opening week of the regular season.
White’s calf issue developed during training camp at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. He was ruled out of the remainder of the preseason on October 5, and the latest announcement extends his absence into the regular-season schedule.
Knueppel’s availability is particularly significant after a rookie year in which he averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists across 81 games. He made 273 three-pointers, setting an NBA rookie record, and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, according to the Associated Press.
The opener is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, or 7:30 a.m. Thursday, October 22, in the Philippines. Charlotte then returns home to face Atlanta two days later. The injury announcement does not confirm that the absent players will be ready for that game.