NBA scout pumps the brakes on Kon Knueppel's value with Charlotte Hornets

There's a distinct chance that Kon Knueppel, the former Duke sharpshooter, is the next Charlotte Hornets prospect in a few days. His name has skyrocketed up draft boards, with the fit next to LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller being a big reason why he makes sense.

His high floor due to shooting and versatility make him an interesting prospect, one that the Hornets may like a lot. But their like may not be wise, at least if one NBA scout is to be believed. According to Bleacher Report, an Eastern Conference scout who watched Knueppel face Cooper Flagg in AAU doesn't see him as a top-10 prospect.

"Maybe he is, because he’s safer," the scout said. "Is he better than Aaron Nesmith? No. And Aaron Nesmith is in the right spot (now); he wasn’t initially. You’re picking him to be a knock-down shooter, and I think he can do that. If you put him on the Celtics, he would fit. If he was in Charlotte, would he make a difference? No."

Analysts seem to differ on where Knueppel will go. That scout doesn't see him in the top 10. Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman mocked him 10th to the Houston Rockets. ESPN's Jeremy Woo and Jonathan Givony mocked him fourth to the Hornets. Tankathon has him as their fifth-ranked prospect.

He could go anywhere, including as high as third overall to the Philadelphia 76ers, though they seem locked in on VJ Edgecombe. Knueppel might be the very next pick, but that wouldn't be wise in at least one scout's opinion.

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