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Kon Knueppel Warned on 'Rough Outlook' as NBA Draft Approaches

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sean Deveney | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 12:29 AM ET

By the time the first portion of Wednesday night's NBA draft wraps up, Kon Knueppel will be off the board. Almost certainly.

Knueppel is expected to be a Top 10 pick, and there is speculation that he could go as high as No. 3 to the Sixers, with firmer chatter that he will land at No. 4 (Charlotte), No. 5 (Utah) or No. 6 (Washington). But he should be warned: He is a good candidate to slip in this draft.

"He is small, I think his measurements at the combine hurt him (Knueppel measured 6-foot-5 without shoes, and his wingspan came in at just 6-foot-6.25)," one NBA coach, who has scouted for the draft, said. "He has a translatable skill, as a shooter, but a lot of the other stuff you can poke holes in. There will be a lot of cold feet on actually taking him in as Top 5 pick. It's kind of a rough outlook for him, where he could go No. 4 or, who knows?"

Knueppel can certainly shoot, and that's why is a solid bet as a lottery pick. He made 14.4 points on 47.9% shooting and 40.6% 3-point shooting, while making 91.4% of his free throws for the national finalists. But he will need to develop more as a point guard and a defender, and there are questions about whether he can do that.

Knueppel gets ample credit as a passer in the pick-and-roll. The coach is not buying it.

"He's strong and that is how he creates his space--he is not explosive, he can just push others around," the coach said. "But he is college strong. He is not NBA strong. I get asked a lot about what a great passer he is but I think I'd reserve judgment until I see whether he can get NBA strong."

It's hard to imagine Knueppel slipping out of the Top 10 in this draft. But it is, at least, possible given the skepticism around him.

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

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