Following the controversial outcome of the Dallas Mavericks securing the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, a number of other narratives concerning the several prospects in this class are beginning to take shape.
Cooper Flagg of the Duke Blue Devils is the center of interest and is most likely to be selected first, but a teammate of his is also receiving a lot of attention.
Similar to Flagg, Kon Knueppel announced his intention to enter the draft following an outstanding rookie campaign at Duke. Sadly, the 19-year-old suffered an injury that prevented him from taking part in the combine’s shooting exercises and athletic testing.
But according to Will Guillory of The Athletic, Knueppel met with a number of teams.
Chicago (12th pick), Charlotte (4th), Brooklyn (8th, 19th, 26th, and 27th), Atlanta (13th and 22nd), and Orlando (16th and 25th) were among the teams Knueppel visited with.
Knueppel was predicted to be selected by the New Orleans Pelicans at No. 7 overall in a recent NBA mock draft.
According to his agent Mark Bartelstein, Knueppel hurt his ankle a few weeks ago.
“We want him at 100%, but he’s now at 85%. “He’s very close,” Bartelstein remarked. “Hopefully, he’s back by the end of the week and can participate in our Pro Day on Friday.”
For the Blue Devils, Knueppel averaged 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.0 steals per contest. Duke made it to the Final Four before falling to the Houston Cougars, 70-67.
According to 247Sports, Knueppel, a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was a five-star prospect in the 2024 class. In addition to being the top player from Wisconsin, the 18th-best player in the nation was also the fifth-best small forward.
