As one of the best shooters in college basketball in his lone season with the Duke Blue Devils, forward Kon Knueppel established himself as a projected lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
He’ll need to continue developing his off-the-dribble game to maximize his potential at the next level fully; which teams in his draft range would be best suited to develop him?
What Makes Kon Knueppel a Top 2025 NBA Draft Prospect?
For Knueppel, it all starts with his shooting. While averaging 14.4 points during his freshman season, he shot 40.6% from three-point range, converting 2.2 of his 5.3 attempts per game.
After beginning the season as strictly a spot-up shooter, he developed his slashing and mid-range game as the season went along. He solidified his status as a draft riser and a potential All-Star at his peak during the ACC Tournament after star Cooper Flagg went down. Tasked with leading the offense, Knueppel averaged 21.0 points in three games — while hitting just five threes, as he relied on getting to the hoop at a high level.
Along with scoring, the Blue Devils star showed a tremendous feel for the game and ultimately plays basketball the right way, presumably leading to a quicker transition to the NBA than other top prospects.
The main, and really only, question mark in his game is his lack of lateral quickness and how that’ll look defensively. But he even improved in that part of his game in the back half of the season, inspiring belief that he could continue to develop that aspect of his game.
Considering all that, which landing spots in the 2025 NBA Draft would best suit Knueppel as he aims to maximize his potential?
New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans are in an interesting position. They are a playoff-contending team but have been continuously disappointing in recent years. With established stars on the roster, Knueppel wouldn’t be asked to do too much when he gets on the court and could learn from them.
Picking at No. 7, the Duke forward would be squarely additive to what New Orleans is doing now and could grow into a more featured role if the Pelicans’ decision-makers decide to ship away aging veterans.
Toronto Raptors
In a position to push for a playoff spot in the East come 2026, the Raptors could look to take the sure thing that Knueppel is at No. 9. With All-Star forwards Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram on the roster, Toronto has searched for outside shooting alongside them for years.
While guards Gradey Dick and Ja’Kobe Walter have shown promise, Knueppel has the potential to be better than both of them and could pass them up quickly in the pecking order as a stronger, sturdier player with a sweet-shooting stroke.
Brooklyn Nets
Though Brooklyn is likely to decide to go for a bigger fish, if Knueppel is enticing to Nets’ brass, he’d have a player of similar strain to learn from and model his game after in Cam Johnson. Last season, Johnson averaged 18.8 points and shot 39.0% from deep, proving to be as high-level a role-player as you’ll find in the league.
Without much young talent on the roster, Knueppel would get touches early — potentially slotting right into the starting lineup alongside Johnson — and be able to develop his skills with live game reps, something that could be invaluable in the long run.
Portland Trail Blazers
Holding the 11th pick, the Blazers could use an infusion of youth and shooting on the wing, as Jeramy Grant has held the starting small forward spot for multiple years and is playing on a bloated contract. Expediting his departure with the welcoming of Knueppel would be ideal.
Although rebuilding, the Blazers have talent at the guard positions and wouldn’t need Knueppel to produce immediately, outside of spacing the floor and spotting up from deep. Without much shooting from their forward positions, the Blazers finished 26th in the league in three-point shooting — adding Knueppel would alleviate that weakness from Day 1.
Houston Rockets
Head coach Ime Udoka famously favors defense over offense for rookies, as 2024 No. 3 pick Reed Sheppard learned this past season. However, a massive need for Houston in the offseason is adding shooting and spacing on the wing, as too many times the lane was clogged and didn’t allow enough space for All-Star Alperen Sengun to operate.
With a year or two of learning the NBA game, Knueppel could be a major piece of Houston’s future core, as they have high hopes of competing for an NBA title in the coming years.
KEEP READING: Kon Knueppel NBA Draft Combine: Could Missing Testing Impact First-Round Hopes?
The No. 10 pick may be too late for the former Blue Devil, but if he’s still on the board at that spot, Rockets decision-makers should heavily consider taking the shooting that Knueppel brings.
Dark Horse Destinations That Could Surprise on Draft Night
Realistically, Knueppel would be a positive addition to any contending team. The list of contenders that could move up in the draft is whittled down to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
If general manager Sam Presti decides that Knueppel could be a part of the Thunder’s future core, would he package some of his vast draft pick cache to move up? We’ll have to wait and see, but it would be a tremendous addition for the team, always looking for shooters to surround All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and baseball!
