In only a few weeks, the 2025 NBA Draft will take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Cooper Flagg, Duke’s brilliant rookie forward, is likely to be the top choice when the draft opens.

However, he will have a few colleagues who are also projected to be taken in this year’s selection. One of them is Kon Knueppel, a sharpshooting guard who recently completed his freshman season at Duke.

He shared a photo of himself on Instagram with a couple of his buddies as he prepares for his big day on June 25 in Brooklyn.

Knueppel averaged 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists a game this season, shooting 47.9% from the field and 40.6% from three. At 6-foot-7 and 217 pounds, he has plenty of stature for a guard, which should make him more appealing to NBA teams than the average 3-point specialist.

He was voted the men’s ACC Tournament MVP after scoring 18 points and grabbing eight rebounds in the Blue Devils’ 11-point victory over Louisville in the conference championship game.

Many predicted Duke to win the men’s NCAA title, but it lost in the final four rounds to Houston.

Knueppel, a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was a five-star recruit out of Wisconsin Lutheran High School. As a senior, he led the school to an undefeated season and the Boys Basketball Division 2 State Championship.

Why is Kon Knueppel not just another Luke Kennard?

Observers are split on Duke guard Kon Knueppel‘s potential, although he is not limited to a role player role.

When it comes to the 2025 NBA Draft, everything begins with the Duke Blue Devils. Standout forward Cooper Flagg, the widely predicted No. 1 choice, was awarded college basketball’s national player of the year, and while Duke came just short of a national championship, the club had the finest statistical profile of any group. Flagg is unquestionably the standout player on Jon Scheyer’s team this summer, but the Blue Devils also have probably the most intriguing center prospect in the class (Khaman Maluach) and Kon Knueppel, who is anticipated to be a lottery pick.

Few have serious questions about Flagg, who has the potential to be a game changer for the Dallas Mavericks. Maluach’s future is less assured, but he enters the NBA with impressive stats (including a 7-foot-7 wingspan and a 9-foot-6 standing reach) and a reasonably simple archetype to visualize. When it comes to Knueppel, observers appear to be significantly less definite about what to expect.

Indeed, Knueppel is frequently compared to players such as Luke Kennard. To be clear, Kennard is in the midst of a decade-long NBA career, and while he is a pretty limited player, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with a mid-to-high lottery pick performing at his level. When you add in the fact that Kennard is also a white Duke shooting guard, the comparisons become self-evident. However, Knueppel possesses a distinct skill set than Kennard, and in short, Knueppel’s ceiling is significantly greater than Kennard’s.

Why will Kon Knueppel thrive in the NBA?

Knueppel, 19, had a tremendous freshman season, garnering All-ACC accolades and helping Duke to the ACC Tournament championship despite Flagg’s injury over the weekend. Knueppel was voted ACC Tournament MVP for his efforts, and he averaged 14.4 points per game on 64.2% true shooting throughout the season.

Knueppel’s outstanding performance was the result of a very strong and well-rounded shooting profile. Knueppel’s attractiveness is highlighted by his ability as a 3-point shooter, which has led to comparisons to Kennard, as he buried 40.6 percent of his long-range tries in college. He was an excellent catch-and-shoot option, but Knueppel can also shoot off movement and made 91.4 percent of his free throw attempts. That demonstrates his gorgeous shooting form, but Knueppel is also highly efficient inside the arc, hitting 56.7 percent of his two-point attempts and 62 percent around the rim in halfcourt settings (according to Synergy).

Knueppel is not a tremendous athlete by NBA standards, which has led to some skepticism, but he is physically powerful and stout. That physicality helps with his shooting mechanics, as Knueppel is exceptionally balanced and forceful in his shooting form, and he weighed over 220 pounds at the NBA Draft Combine.

Aside from his shooting, Knueppel is an excellent ball-handler for a non-point guard and moves quite well off the ball. Knueppel demonstrated exceptional passing ability in college, generating roughly twice as many assists as turnovers. He is also a skilled and comfortable pick-and-roll operator, which may increase Knueppel’s potential as an on-ball option at the next level.

Knueppel’s defensive ceiling is certainly modest. He possesses a 6-foot-6 wingspan, and with his limited quickness and athleticism, there may be matchups that cause Knueppel problems on that end of the court. Having said that, he is known for his competitiveness and physicality, and Knueppel executes schemes to a high standard. He always appears to be in the right place at the right time, and when he needs to be “hidden” from a 1-on-1 matchup, he can perform admirably as a team defender.

A cursory look at Knueppel’s profile, specifically his lack of athleticism and calling card as a shooter, may indicate a rather “simple” role player projection. However, Knueppel demonstrated significant talent as a No. 1 option during the aforementioned ACC Tournament run, and he was a blue-chip recruit with a good basketball pedigree. Knueppel’s floor is quite high, owing to his superior shooting profile and instincts as a team defender and distributor. However, his ceiling is greater than most people understand, and if Knueppel’s pull-up shooting matches his off-ball and catch-and-shoot skills, he has the potential to be a 20-point NBA scorer.