Duke basketball is getting behind its former star, Kon Knueppel. Knueppel is one of several young players from the Blue Devils program hoping to get selected in the 2025 NBA Draft. Duke made a post on X, addressing a video that had been posted of the guard shooting in the gym.
“Best shooter in the draft and much more,” Duke said on X, formerly Twitter. “Top 2-3 pick.”
Knueppel joins Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach as former Duke freshmen looking for a chance to play at the next level. Flagg is considered the top overall pick in the draft, by many analysts. The three players helped the Blue Devils reach a Final Four this season under head coach Jon Scheyer.
The Dallas Mavericks have the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Flagg got most of the headlines this season at Duke, but Knueppel proved to be a truly valuable player. The versatile guard averaged 14 points and four rebounds this past season.
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Knueppel also proved to be a sharpshooter from deep. He made more than 40 percent of his three-point attempts.
The former Blue Devils star is sending a message to NBA teams about what he can bring to them.
“Availability — Be a guy that wants to play all the games,” Knueppel said to ESPN at the NBA Draft Combine, per On3. “I just want to get on the court and I want to play all the time. We’ve got guys, a lot of guys, sitting out games, and it’s a long season but I want to be available. I want to compete.”
Knueppel is quite likely to get his chance. Most mock drafts list the Duke guard as a possible top 10 pick, with some projections listing him as one of the first five selections.
Duke basketball's former guard will find out what happens next soon. The NBA Draft is on June 25.
