Duke basketball's Kon Knueppel makes 2025 NBA Draft decision
Duke basketball's Kon Knueppel will enter the 2025 NBA Draft, he announced Wednesday in a social media post.
"Forever a Blue Devil. Taking the Brotherhood with me to the next chapter. #NBADraft," Knueppel wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).
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Knueppel, an All-ACC wing and the ACC Tournament MVP as the Blue Devils' No. 2 option behind fellow freshman Cooper Flagg, is expected to be a top-10 pick on June 25 during the first round of the draft in Brooklyn.
Duke has seen 30 of its former players become lottery picks. Overall, 56 Blue Devils have been selected in the first round of the draft. Knueppel will likely add his name to that list after averaging 14.4 points, 4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in a one-and-done season in Durham.
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DUKE 2025-26 ROSTER OUTLOOK: What will Duke basketball's roster look like in 2025-26 season, should it lose Cooper Flagg?
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OLD SCHOOL: How Duke basketball's Kon Knueppel learned 'stuff that's not taught so much anymore'
Shortly after Knueppel's announcement, Duke released a video featuring head coach Jon Scheyer.
"Loved having Kon in our program. So proud of him and what he did this season. He's guy that really is about competition. He never shied away from the competitive plays that have to be made in order to win at a high level. As a freshman, Kon understood that ," Scheyer said.
"He played both sides of the ball, he had big scoring games and shooting games for us. He guarded. The separator is the fact, anytime there's a loose ball, Kon Knueppel's putting his body on the line to come up with it. The amount of plays he got, just in traffic, was a special thing. ... Can't wait to see what he's going to do at the next level, with a long, successful NBA career.
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Here's a look at Knueppel's stats and possible landing spots in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Kon Knueppel stats
The Milwaukee, Wisconsin, native became an instant contributor as a 6-foot-7, 217-pound freshman at Duke. Knueppel shot 40.6% from 3-point range, 90% at the free-throw line and nearly 48% overall as a shooter. He produced 21 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds in Duke's Elite Eight victory against Alabama in the NCAA Tournament. Knueppel also shined in Duke's opening game of the ACC Tournament against Georgia Tech. After Flagg went down with an ankle injury, Knueppel scored a season-high 28 points, along with 8 assists and 5 rebounds. He had seven games with 20 or more points, but Knueppel was as consistent a two-way player as Duke had last season.
Kon Knueppel NBA Draft profile, projections
Knueppel has the size, skill, motor and basketball IQ to be an instant contributor in the league. With an elite feel for the game and his ability to make shots and facilitate, Knueppel's NBA Draft profile compares to that of Gordon Hayward, Wally Sczerbiak, Bojan Bogdanović and Chris Mullin, according to evaluators. Knueppel will likely hear his name called within the top 10, with most projections placing him in the 6-10 range, with possible landing spots in Toronto, San Antonio, Houston or Portland. He'll have to continue to develop as a defender, but all signs point toward a lengthy pro career for Knueppel.
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Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke basketball's Kon Knueppel makes 2025 NBA Draft decision
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