The Duke Blue Devils did not win the national championship this past season, but they developed for elite NBA talent than any other college program. All basketball fans will be familiar with Cooper Flagg, who is projected to be the first pick in the draft on Wednesday. However, former Duke stars Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach are also projected to be top 10 picks in the draft.
On Tuesday, the day before the 2025 NBA draft, the three former Duke stars participated in a photo shoot together. The photos were posted on the NBA Instagram account. In the photos, the former Duke stars posed together and joined hands for one last time before starting their pro careers on different NBA teams.
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Fans reacted to the photos in the comments on Instagram.
“NBA is cooked,” one fan wrote.
“The second slide 🥺🥺 Man. Man always stealing hearts 🥰💙,” one fan commented.
“This is too wholesome 🥺🥺🥺💙❤️🔥,” one fan added.
Fans continued to react in the comments.
“Bro not throwing a lob in that last pic,” one fan wrote.
“A maverick, a jazz, and a raptor,” one fan commented.
“My guys. Love yall boys man. Go be great!!!” one fan added.
When Are Each of the Former Duke Stars Projected To Be Drafted?
Looking at the three Duke stars heading into the 2025 NBA draft, it is only clear where one of them will end up. Cooper Flagg is as close to a lock as someone can be to be the first pick before the draft occurs. It would be one of the biggest surprises in NBA history if he is not selected first by the Dallas Mavericks.
However, for Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach, it is less clear where they are going to end up. For several weeks, it has looked clear that Kon Knueppel is going to be drafted higher among the other two Duke stars, and that remains true in the hours before the draft.
ESPN, CBS Sports and The Athletic all released mock drafts on either Tuesday or Wednesday. All three of them have Knueppel projected to go fourth to the Charlotte Hornets. While it appears to be unanimously agreed upon, that is not the case. While the Hornets are the most likely destination for Knueppel, it would not be shocking to see Knueppel slide to fifth or sixth in the draft.
As for Khaman Maluach, it is less clear where he is going to end up. CBS Sports and The Athletic agree in projecting him to go eighth to the Brooklyn Nets. However, ESPN has a higher projection for him as they have the New Orleans Pelicans selecting him with the seventh pick. The Toronto Raptors have also been a team linked to Maluach with the ninth pick in the lead-up to the draft.
The 2025 NBA draft will start at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
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