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Kon Knueppel Predicted to Join $163 Million Star on Rising NBA Team

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cole Sullivan | Last updated Apr 10, 2025 10:24 AM ET

With the college basketball season now in the rearview mirror, the next major talking point on the horizon is the NBA Draft in June, where several top prospects will discover where their professional journeys will begin.

A few of those highly touted prospects come from the Duke Blue Devils, who could see Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach all selected within the lottery.

While Flagg is widely projected as the consensus No. 1 overall pick once he declares, there’s more debate surrounding where Knueppel could land—especially after his strong performances in both the ACC and NCAA Tournaments.

Duke ultimately fell short in the Final Four to Houston, but the expectation is that Knueppel will declare for the draft. According to ESPN draft analyst Jonathan Givony, Knueppel is currently projected to land with the San Antonio Spurs at the No. 8 overall pick.

Post-NCAA Tournament NBA Mock Draft: How we see all 59 picks now. There has been a lot of movement across the first and second rounds, as the college basketball season is now in the rearview.

STORY: https://t.co/iF3XKidcoY pic.twitter.com/i3zt3WoOgd
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 8, 2025

This would pair the sharpshooting wing with All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox and, most notably, rising superstar Victor Wembanyama. San Antonio remains one of the most intriguing destinations in the NBA, with as much long-term potential as any team thanks to Wembanyama’s rapid emergence as a franchise cornerstone.

According to Givony’s latest mock draft, Cooper Flagg is projected to go No. 1 overall to the Utah Jazz, while Khaman Maluach is slotted at No. 7 to the Toronto Raptors—just ahead of Knueppel.

That would give Duke three players selected in the top 10, an extraordinary accomplishment for head coach Jon Scheyer and a testament to the strength of the program he's continued to build since Mike Krzyzewski’s retirement in 2022.

This past season, Knueppel often played in the shadow of Flagg, but still delivered an impressive campaign—averaging 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.0 steal per game while shooting 47.9% from the field, 40.6% from three-point range, and 91.4% from the free-throw line.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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