Duke fans are understandably excited about Cooper Flagg, who’s been described as a generational talent, and Khaman Maluach, who is generating a tremendous amount of buzz, including a nice run at the Olympics despite being just 17 and having only played the game for a few years.
As exciting as those guys are, the player who has generated a surprising amount of hype lately is Kon Knueppel.
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Our sense is that people saw Knueppel as a good shooter but not necessarily a superior athlete. His new teammates have consistently raved about his play, mostly on the Brotherhood Podcast, and also say his athleticism is better than expected. Word is apparently starting to get out.
According to this site, Bleacher Report has him all the way up to #12 in the 2025 NBA Draft, which would make him a Houston Rocket. Here’s what Jonathan Wasserman says:
“Any preconceived concerns about Kon Knueppel’s athleticism should fade once he shows off his scoring instincts and shooting. Duke also listed him at 6’7”, 217 pounds, solid numbers for a wing if they check out in May at the NBA combine. His 22.5 points per game led the EYBL last year, and his physical build and shotmaking hint at translatability. …Knueppel’s skill level, IQ and efficiency should pop similarly to how Reed Sheppard did in a reserve role at Kentucky.”
We’ll get an idea soon about exactly where Knueppel is, but for now, the experts on his athleticism and overall game are the guys who are around him every day and they seem pretty impressed. We’ll go with that for now.
