The Duke Blue Devils were picked by many people just several weeks ago to win the 2025 men’s national championship. But they instead fell in stunning fashion in the Final Four round to the Houston Cougars when they blew a late lead.
Their roster will look different next season. Freshman phenom Cooper Flagg, big man Khaman Maluach and wing Kon Knueppel have all declared themselves eligible for the upcoming NBA draft.
Advertisement
While much of the attention is focused on Flagg, who is expected to become a big-time star at the next level, Knueppel is an intriguing prospect in his own right.
He made an appearance at American Family Field in his native Milwaukee and threw out the first pitch as the Milwaukee Brewers hosted the Houston Astros.
Knueppel, who is 6-foot-7, can play multiple positions and is a very accurate shooter. This past season, the freshman averaged 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists a game while shooting 47.9% from the field and 40.6% from 3-point range.
Duke Blue Devils guard Kon Knueppel (7) drives against Louisville Cardinals forward Noah Waterman.Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
He earned nods to the ACC All-Freshman team and All-ACC second team and was named the MVP of the ACC Tournament. In 2024, he also won the Wisconsin Mr. Basketball award as the best male high school basketball player in the state.
Advertisement
Knueppel is expected to go fairly high in June’s draft. An NBADraft.net scouting report listed Chris Mullin, a Hall of Fame sharpshooter who averaged 18.2 points a game and made five NBA All-Star teams, and former 3-point specialist Jared Dudley as the closest player comparisons for Knueppel.
