Buy stock in Duke’s Kon Knueppel

Buy stock in Duke’s Kon Knueppel

I know this is an unrelated way to begin something, but when you have the chance, please go check out Trey’s college football stock notes that he pours his blood, sweat and tears into every week. He’s the best in biz and deserves way more credit than he actually get for evaluating one of the hardest things to evaluate: The NFL Draft.

Now that we’re on the subject of “stocks” in relation to prospects, let’s transition into someone I’m buying early stock on heading into the 2025 NBA Draft.

Would I consider myself a “good” evaluator for NBA Draft prospects? Probably not, although I feel confident about the way-too-early returns for Yves Missi, Carlton Carrington, Jonathan Mogbo, Tristan da Silva and Pelle Larsson, all of whom were drafted outside the top-10.

I did misjudge Ryan Dunn’s offensive potential, though I’m not sure anyone could’ve predicted what he’s doing this quickly. I even made a video about it here! In the end, I don’t care if I’m wrong about anyone I misevaluate because I genuinely want all of these players to succeed. That won’t happen, unfortunately, and we won’t really know how they are until 3-4 years from now. But I feel good … for now.

One of the first articles I wrote for Vendetta was about buying stock on Jalen Williams before it was too late. Even a broken close is right twice a day. Now, I’m here to announce someone I’m buying very early stock on ahead of the 2025 class: Duke’s Kon Knueppel.

Who is Kon Knueppel?

Most people will be drawn to Duke because of super-prospect Cooper Flagg, and for obvious reasons. I don’t love throwing the term “generational” on prospects because the reality is not all of these players will actually become “generational.” We throw it around too loosely.

That said, Flagg is one of the best prospects that we’ve seen in this generation and was already turning heads against some of the NBA’s best before stepping foot at Duke.

Let me introduce Kon Knueppel to you, in case you’re unfamiliar. As a former five-star recruit out of Wisconsin Lutheran in Milwaukee, Wis., Knueppel is a good-sized wing at 6-foot-7, 217-pounds. He was the top player in the state of Wisconsin, choosing Duke over Alabama, Marquette, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Illinois and USC, among others.

He was dominant in Duke’s exhibition games against Lincoln (Division-II) and Arizona State, averaging 18.0 points, five rebounds and 3.5 assists on 52.9 percent shooting (9-17) from 3-point range. In Duke’s opener Monday against Maine, he had a team-high 22 points with four boards and two assists, converting on eight of his 14 attempts from the floor and 3-of-8 from distance.

Whether he’s flying off screens, spotting up in semi-transition or pulling up inside the arc, his form is incredibly consistent. His shot mechanics are very clean with a high release point. Above all, however, was Knueppel’s feel for the game and defensive chops, which stood out the most to me.

During this very small sample, he consistently made the right decisions with the ball in his hands. Sure, he’s not averaging a high assist number. But he flashed potential as a high-floor connector with tremendous court awareness on- and off-ball and never appeared rattled in traffic. His composure felt top-notch.

Defensively, I thought he was one of, if not their best defenders. I love his disposition and I was pleasantly surprised with his lateral quickness in space. He’s got great feet for his build and was incredibly competitive defensively, in general. His instincts and wherewithal looked like that of a four-year college player.

All in all, it’s hard not to be genuinely impressed by his all-around potential. Cooper Flagg is the obvious top prospect, but I’ve liked Knueppel more and more every time I watch him.

Of course, a lot can change over the course of a college basketball season. There will be other pre-draft risers and fallers; this 2025 class, with Flagg, Ace Bailey, Tre Johnson, Dylan Harper, Boogie Fland and Egor Demin, among others, is expected to be loaded; there’s no telling if Knueppel will even be a lottery pick when it’s all said and done.

Nevertheless, I’m buying stock for his long-term prospects. There’s way too much season left to make any final conclusion, but I think we’re getting a glimpse at a very good player in Kon Knueppel.

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