Latest news with #KonKnueppel
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Cooper Flagg's Teammate Predicted to Join Eastern Conference Team
Cooper Flagg's Teammate Predicted to Join Eastern Conference Team originally appeared on Athlon Sports. With the No. 8 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Brooklyn Nets will miss out on Cooper Flagg, pending any massive surprises. However, that doesn't mean they won't come away with a promising draft prospect. Advertisement There are plenty of promising players coming into this year's draft class. The Nets don't have the highest draft pick in 2025, but they still have a high pick in a highly regarded draft, with or without Flagg. With the Nets embracing the next chapter of the franchise, they'll have to choose carefully from the 2025 NBA Draft. ESPN's Jeremy Woo projected that the Nets could take Flagg's teammate. Duke Blue Devils stars Cooper Flagg (2) and Kon Knueppel (7).© Bob Donnan-Imagn Images On his top-100 board, Woo had Kon Knueppel at No. 8, which is where the Nets will be selecting. Woo explained Knueppel's appeal as a player and how he compares to the other players in his draft class. Advertisement "While not possessing great length, he has the size to get his shot off as well as see over defenses when needed to make plays with the ball," Woo wrote. "Although he's not likely to be a stellar defender at the NBA level, Knueppel is viewed as one of the safer picks in this draft, as there's perennial demand for elite shooting, with the playmaking instincts he has shown adding a layer of upside if a team wants to further utilize him in that way." Like Flagg, Knueppel only played one year at Duke University. In his lone season with the Blue Devils, he averaged 14.4 points, four rebounds, and 2.7 assists while shooting nearly 48% from the field and 40.6% from three. Related: Timberwolves Urged to Make Kevin Durant Trade After Anthony Edwards' Message Related: NBA Lottery Team Predicted to Make Big Trade Before Draft This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Duke Center Khaman Maluach Could Be Worth Trading Up For
There's no getting around it: Duke center Khaman Maluach is an enormous human being, and his size is certainly on the radar for all lottery teams. But more so than his 7'2 frame and 7'7 wingspan, teams are intrigued at how the big man can produce for them moving forward. At Duke, Maluach was often an offensive afterthought who played off Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel, primarily as a dunking spot center. Yet, there's more to his game than being just a grab and dunk player. Not only did Maluach convert on over 71% of his shot attempts from the floor, but he cashed in on almost 77% of his free throws, a major indicator of additional shooting upside. If Maluach becomes a pick and pop option, as well as being a strong interior finisher, his offensive applicability grows exponentially, which should further entice teams. That said, the 18-year-old is not yet much of a passer, so it would seem too optimistic to expect him to become an offensive hub, at least not until he's much deeper into his NBA career. As such, the best presumed role for the South Sudanese national is that of play finisher, which covers a wide variety of scoring options. Be that as a floor spacer, interior threat, or something in-between. As for the other end of the floor, Maluach is further back, but not to a point where one has to have great concern. While not much of a leaper, Maluach is so huge, he can live off his size in the initial years of his career, until he learns timing, rotation patterns, and perfects the rule of verticality. He won't block as many shots as, say, Victor Wembanyama, but he should be good enough at challenging shots that opposing players will think twice about attacking him head-on. As for his rebounding, it's not elite, but he's not poor in that department whatsoever. He grabbed 11.2 rebounds per 36 minutes at Duke, a reasonable number for someone who isn't yet 19, and who's still trying to fully understand the significance of his own size. Maluach is a player several teams should have interest in, and for teams in dire need of a rock solid center with All-Star potential, he might even be worth some trade-up squeeze. A team like the Chicago Bulls, who should seriously consider trading Nikola Vučević, would benefit greatly from a fresh start with a high-level talent, who can help shape their future. But given they're picking 12th, it seems unrealistic he's available at that time. Therefore, it's behoove a franchise like them to make some aggressive phone calls. Unless noted otherwise, all stats via PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Duke Star Kon Knueppel Receives Major New Prediction Before NBA Draft
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Duke Blue Devils and head coach Jon Scheyer are losing a lot of talent to the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft. Cooper Flagg is the headline name, but fellow five-star freshman Kon Knueppel is also worth taking note of, along with center Khaman Maluach. All three Duke standouts have a chance to be top-10 draft picks. That alone shows just how stacked the Blue Devils' roster was during the 2024-25 college basketball season. Knueppel is one of the best shooters in this NBA Draft class. With teams always needing elite shooting, he will have a chance to be drafted high and earn playing time early on in his professional career. Kon Knueppel #7 of the Duke Blue Devils brings the ball up court against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the quarterfinal round of the ACC men's basketball tournament at Spectrum Center on March 13,... Kon Knueppel #7 of the Duke Blue Devils brings the ball up court against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the quarterfinal round of the ACC men's basketball tournament at Spectrum Center on March 13, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. More Photo byDuring his freshman year at Duke, Knueppel lived up to all of the hype that came with being a five-star prospect. He may not have received the same hype that Flagg did, but he was just as important. Without him on the team, the run to the Final Four likely would not have happened. Read more: Duke, Jon Scheyer Won't Be Thrilled With Latest 2025-26 Ranking He played in 39 games during his freshman season, averaging 14.4 points per game to go along with four rebounds, 2.7 assists, and a steal. Knueppel also shot 47.9 percent from the floor and 40.6 percent from three-point range. Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has also revealed a major new prediction for Knueppel in the 2025 NBA Draft. In his new mock draft on Thursday, Wasserman has predicted that the Toronto Raptors will land Knueppel with the No. 9 overall pick. "Only the Washington Wizards averaged fewer threes per game than the Raptors, making Knueppel an obvious candidate at No. 9," he wrote. "But he should also be in the best-player-available conversation at this point of the lottery." Not only did Wasserman provided a prediction for where Knueppel will land in the draft, he also offered a comparison for the Blue Devils star. Read more: NBA Champion Says Timberwolves Should Target This Anthony Edwards Co-Star That comparison was none other than Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson. It's a comparison that bodes well for Knueppel, especially after the 2024-25 NBA season that Johnson put together. There is a lot of work to do to become the player that he's capable of being, but Knueppel has never had a problem with work ethic. Regardless of which team selects him in the 2025 draft, the Duke standout will come in ready to work with a burning desire to win. Fans won't have to wait too much longer to find out where he ends up. The 2025 NBA Draft is scheduled to be held on June 25. For more college basketball and NBA Draft news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
USA Today
26-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Betting markets think there's an outside chance Kon Knueppel goes No. 3 in the NBA draft
Betting markets think there's an outside chance Kon Knueppel goes No. 3 in the NBA draft The Duke Blue Devils men's basketball program will assuredly produce three of the top 10 picks in this summer's NBA draft. The Dallas Mavericks have essentially already confirmed they will take teenage phenom Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick, the spot Duke's young superstar has been penciled in for since his high-school years, and his freshman classmates Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach showed off their ceilings en route to a Final Four appearance. But how high can the Blue Devils' other two lottery picks go? According to BetMGM, there's an outside chance Knueppel could go as high as No. 3 to the Philadelphia 76ers. Knueppel, the ACC Tournament MVP, averaged 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.0 steals while making 40.6% of his 3-pointers. The 6-foot-6 forward answered questions about his athleticism by finding ways to the paint over and over again, and he excelled in pick-and-roll situations alongside Flagg and Maluach. The 76ers aren't the best fit for Knueppel's chances to go that high, however. Philadelphia took Duke sharpshooter Jared McCain last year, showing that the Sixers trust Durham's talent development, but their backcourt is already crowded with star guard Tyrese Maxey and Quentin Grimes. Oddsmakers give Knueppel a +900 chance to end up in Philadelphia, giving him an implied 10% chance to go third overall. Maluach isn't fully out of consideration, either, with an implied 3.9% chance to go to the Sixers at +2500. Here's a look at the odds as of Monday. No. 3 overall pick odds for the 2025 NBA draft: All NBA draft odds via BetMGM: Player Odds Ace Bailey (Rutgers Scarlet Knights) +100 VJ Edgecombe (Baylor Bears) +120 Kon Knueppel (Duke Blue Devils) +900 Tre Johnson (Texas Longhorns) +1200 Khaman Maluach (Duke Blue Devils) +2500 Most mock drafts put Knueppel and Maluach close to the bottom half of the top 10 with the New Orleans Pelicans (seventh) and Brooklyn Nets (eighth) seen as likely suitors for either player. The 2025 NBA draft begins on June 25. Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kon Knueppel on the one thing he's looking to improve
Kon Knueppel on the one thing he's looking to improve | The Kevin O'Connor Show The Duke forward sat down with Yahoo Sports senior NBA analyst Kevin O'Connor at the NBA draft combine in Chicago to discuss his former teammate Cooper Flagg's comments about him, plus what he's working on entering next month's draft. Hear the full conversation on 'The Kevin O'Connor Show' and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript Cooper flag had his media roundtable thing, and he said, Khan is just a great all-round person, player, very well rounded. Advertisement Anywhere he goes, he's gonna be great. He's just so solid in many different ways. He's such a safe pick. There's not really a lot of downside to taking Khan. What's your reaction to what Cooper Flag said? That's pretty cool, you know, um. Especially coming from a great player like him, um, he's a really good dude, great teammate, um, I'd say the same thing, probably a little bit more about him, you know, he's got uh unlimited potential. Um, but he's just, he's a better person than he's a player, which is saying a lot because he's a really, really good player. Mid-range, he shot 16 of 37, 43% on pull-up jumpers. Advertisement From 3 on pull-ups, only 3 of 21, 14%. What is the key would be to extending your range from mid-range to 3 point range off the dribble? What are you working on to improve that? Yeah, I mean, I'm just trying to get more comfortable, you know, it's not a shot like 2 shots in the whole sample size. I wasn't really comfortable, um, shooting, shooting those to be completely honest, like I didn't shoot a ton of them in high school. Um, so I've just got to get, get reps, gotta get better at it, get more comfortable, and I'll get better from there. Um, the mid-range too, I mean, we didn't shoot a lot of mid-range at Duke. Advertisement Um, I want that to be more of a a staple in my game because I think that's a great shot for me. Don't take a lot of floaters either. Like it was more of a Duke thing, just not like not taking floaters going more to the rim. Yeah, we didn't, we didn't take a lot of, a lot of non non rim twos. Um, a lot of threes want to end out threes and layups. Um, but when you're on a great team, like you're always working to get a great shot, and I think, um, working, working more on that, that individual, individual stuff will be good, and, and I'll be more efficient at those and going forward. When you're at finishing, you shot 62% at the rim in the half court percentnergy and you know, with you, you're like 2 ft finishing a lot. Advertisement How would you describe the value of 2-foot finishing for you at the rim? Yeah, I, I think it's more valuable in college than it is in the pros. There's less space, more guys in the lane. Obviously the rules, the size of the lane is, is different than the pros. So that's what kind of why I've been working more on uh 1 ft finishing creativity here this offseason. Um, more of those floater type shots, mid-range shots, but, um, yeah, I mean, 2 ft finishing is, is really effective in, in college basketball, uh, using, utilizing your shot fake, your pivots, um, something I really try to do this season. I mean, ultimately, like there's are certain guys like Brunson obviously are much larger than Bronson, but he still uses two-foot finishing as what, a 6-1, 6'2 guard in the NBA, but he's also got the floater. He's also got the fade away. He's got everything in the NBA, right? Absolutely. So it's about expanding your package. That's what you're trying to do right now.
