ESPN draft analyst Jonathan Givony wrote on Wednesday about the Duke basketball practices he recently attended, and in a development that should surprise no one, he said a freshman dominated during team scrimmages.
The twist, however, is that it wasn’t [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag].
Instead, Givony wrote about five-star freshman [autotag]Kon Knueppel[/autotag], who led his team to victory in all three scrimmages.
“Knueppel was the best player on the floor for Duke — and it wasn’t particularly close,” Givony wrote.
“Knueppel already looks like he might be one of the best shooters in the ACC from Day 1,” he continued. “As defenders tried to slow him down, he showed skill attacking closeouts with both hands, creating space with his frame and hitting difficult short-range pull-ups and turnaround jumpers.”
The Wisconsin native has seen his stock soar since he arrived in Durham at the start of the summer. Flagg and fellow five-star freshman [autotag]Isaiah Evans[/autotag] named him as the most impressive player during offseason work, with Evans notably saying that Knueppel doesn’t miss in practice.
While questions lingered about the 6-foot-6 forward’s athleticism ahead of his collegiate career, those around the Duke basketball program seem unconcerned. CBS Sports reporter Jon Rothstein said he thinks Knueppel might finish second on the team in scoring after watching a practice, and Givony said the first-year Blue Devil looked like a future top-10 pick.