Duke basketball fans have felt great about the 2024 recruiting class ever since it formed, but the past few days have brought the hype to a crescendo.
After Cooper Flagg stood out against Team USA during Olympic training camp over the weekend, fellow five-star signee Kon Knueppel gained his own social media traction on Wednesday.
An NBA scout praised his performance at this year’s Tatum Elite Camp and shared a short highlight reel of Knueppel’s best moments, and one defensive moment shined above the rest.
Knueppel lined up against North Carolina star RJ Davis, an All-American who led the Tar Heels to an ACC regular-season title last season, for a one-on-one possession. Davis, who averaged 21.2 points per game last season, couldn’t shake the 18-year-old and ended up lofting up a 3-pointer that didn’t even find the rim.
One of four five-star members of Duke’s upcoming freshman class, Knueppel’s earned some 2025 NBA mock draft projections as a first-round pick. One writer from The Athletic said he might be the second-best player from Duke’s incoming class.
Kon Knueppel locking up RJ Davis đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/KJ9vEM5ioq
— JMann_ (@JMannsTakes) July 10, 2024
Check out our predictions for Knueppel’s 2024-25 statistics, along with every other member of the freshman class, here.