As basketball season approaches, the Blue Zone provides a detailed preview of each player on Duke men's basketball's 2024-25 roster. We’ve already looked at Cameron Sheffield, Patrick Ngongba II, Darren Harris, Isaiah Evans, Mason Gillis, Maliq Brown, Sion James, Caleb Foster, Khaman Maluach and Tyrese Proctor. Next up is freshman forward Kon Knueppel:
Kon Knueppel
Year: Freshman
Height: 6-foot-7
Position: Guard/Forward
Last year’s stat line: N/A
Game breakdown: A member of the consensus number one recruiting class in the nation, 6-foot-7 Kon Knueppel arrives at Duke following a stellar senior season at Wisconsin Lutheran. The year prior during his junior summer, Knueppel led the Nike EYBL in scoring with 22.5 points per game, while shooting nearly 50% from beyond the arc.
The consensus five star recruit and 2023-24 Gatorade Wisconsin Player of the Year averaged 25.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game during his senior year, while shooting 59.4% from the field, 39.5% from 3-point range and 84.9% from the free-throw line.
Knueppel was formerly listed as a shooting guard, but after adding a bit of height and weight over the past year, he has transitioned into more of a hybrid guard/forward. While he lacks some natural athletic gifts, the Milwaukee native has a strong command of the floor and is an efficient handler who can drive both sides and never gets sped up. His build hurts him slightly on defense as he isn’t quite big enough to smother taller centers in the post and isn't quite fast enough to keep up with quick guards. As such, coach Jon Scheyer will likely deploy Knueppel as an offensive weapon to knock down shots as part of a crowded roster of guards and forwards.
Role on the team: Despite being ranked the 18th best recruit in the nation by 247 sports, Knueppel was considered a less formidable prospect than three other freshmen on the team, two of whom play his listed position: Isaiah Evans and Cooper Flagg. Initially, it seemed like Knueppel would likely come off the bench barring injuries to projected starters, but after a sensational offseason the freshman has been touted as a mainstay in the starting five.
A strong three-point shooter, Knueppel will likely see the majority of his playing time come at the forward position as the Blue Devils have two established guards in Caleb Foster and Tyrese Proctor. Duke will benefit greatly from outside shooting support in the absence of Jared McCain and Jeremy Roach, and thus Knueppel will probably spend more time controlling the ball beyond the arc on a taller Blue Devil squad than last year.
NBA comparison: Knueppel’s build and accuracy beyond the arc make him very similar to Brooklyn Nets small forward Bojan Bogdanovic; both stand at 6-foot-7 and each weigh about 220 pounds while converting on nearly 40% of their 3-point attempts. Neither are exceptionally quick players, but they can go to work on the outside and stretch defenses out, a characteristic that will be crucial for Knueppel in helping to open up the paint for taller guys like Maluach and Flagg. Bogdanovic has also not been hailed for his defense, struggling to match up against players on the perimeter, an aspect of the game Knueppel will also hope to improve upon.
As an international player from Croatia, Bogdanovic never played in the NCAA, so it will be a bit difficult to compare Knueppel’s performance this season to that of the former star of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi. However, expect to see in Knueppel what Bogdanovic provides at the NBA level — strong shooting and a great feel for the game.
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