Austin Reaves‘ season on the Lakers has to be appreciated, but not everyone agrees on where he ranks among the game’s best.
Speaking on his podcast, former NBA guard Jeff Teague admitted that he’d take Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel over Reaves, reflecting a notable shift in the hierarchy. In fact, Teague took it one step further by calling Knueppel the best white American basketball player in the entire NBA.
“Kon Knueppel is arguably the best White American Basketball player in the league,” said Teague on ‘Club 520.’ “I would take him over Austin Reaves, because he looks comfortable as hell. Because Cooper Flagg is good, but he’s not like this. Not efficient like this. If you put Kon Knueppel on Dallas, he’d still be good. Cooper Flagg would still be good with the Hornets, but I don’t know if they’re winning like that.”
With Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic being European-born, Austin Reaves held the “best white American” title for years as he ascended to stardom. Despite going undrafted, he’s slowly worked his way up the food chain to become an essential player on the team. This season, the 27-year-old sharpshooter has reached an entirely new level of his game, with averages of 23.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 11 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game on 49.2% shooting and 36.1% shooting from three.
Still, Teague (and others) believe that Kon Knueppel is having a better run. Even more than that, they think he’s the better player with the higher ceiling. With averages of 19.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game on 48.9% shoting and 43.8% shooting from three, his numbers don’t quite match up to Reaves’, but his impact is arguably greater on a Hornets team that’s never looked better. At ninth in the East (39-34), they are competitive for the first time in years, and it’s in large part due to his consistent and efficient play on both ends of the floor.
Knueppel’s latest masterpiece was in last night’s victory over the Knicks, when he dropped 26 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, zero steals, and zero blocks on 64.3% shooting from the field and 60.0% shooting from three. It was the fifth straight win for the Hornets, and further evidence to show their status as a legitimate playoff threat.
What’s most impressive about Knueppel is his natural instincts for the game. At 20 years old, he doesn’t have nearly the same amount of experience or run time as someone like Reaves, and yet he plays with nearly the same poise. That kind of confidence is impossible to teach, and it’s a sign that the best is yet to come for the former Duke prospect.
Considering his role in a miraculous turnaround for the Hornets, it’s no surprise that Kon ranks first in the Rookie of the Year ballots, but only he can determine what comes next. After setting the bar so high in his first year, it will not be easy to meet expectations from here on out.
As for Reaves, we already know that he will look to keep improving. While he’s not chasing after any meaningless “white boy” titles, he’s always driven to be the best in his field, and it’s the very thing that first drew LeBron James to him all those years ago. He has some new competition now, and we can only hope it drives him to play his best basketball yet.
