For a while now, Duke Blue Devils guard Kon Knueppel has long been regarded as a top prospect for the 2025 NBA Draft. The Milwaukee, Wisconsin native is coming off of his one-and-done college basketball stint with coach Jon Scheyer’s team, and is bringing on the draft fresh off Duke’s NCAA Final Four appearance.
In the 2024-25 season, Knueppel averaged an impressive 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals per contest. The sharpshooter was best known for leading the Blue Devils in their successful pursuit of the 2025 ACC tournament title, especially when his co-star in Cooper Flagg went down with an injury that sidelined him for the final.
With this, let’s take a look at the five best NBA landing spots for Kon Knueppel.
5 NBA Landing Spots For Kon Knueppel
#5 Toronto Raptors
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If Kon Knueppel ends up becoming the ninth overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, then he can bolster the ongoing rebuild of coach Darko Rajakovic’s Toronto Raptors. The franchise has long been looking for a core to take them back to their 2019 championship days, and Knueppel’s skillset can bolster their young roster with the likes of Scottie Barnes and Gradey Dick as a 3-and-D type of player.
In the 2024-25 season, the Raptors finished with an overall record of 30-52, good for 11th in the Eastern Conference.
#4 Washington Wizards
Coach Brian Keefe’s Washington Wizards hold the sixth overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft and could elect to select Knueppel with it. The team is currently headlined by the likes of their floor general in Jordan Poole as well as lengthy wing Alex Sarr, two young talented players. Knueppel’s role in the team can be an added boost towards their scoring as well towards the team’s defense, as he has shown flashes of his game on that side.
The Wizards finished last season dead last in the East with an 18-64 record.
#3 Portland Trailblazers
Another ideal landing spot for Kon Knueppel is if he slips down to the 11th overall pick to the Portland Trailblazers. Coach Chauncey Billups’ squad recently just traded away their young spitfire scorer in Anfernee Simons for Jrue Holiday on June 23, meaning that while their perimeter defense has improved, the Trailblazers will have to bolster their backcourt scoring.
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Given Knueppel’s ability to space the floor and create shots, the 19-year-old can become a great scorer for the team. Portland finished the 2024-25 season with a record of 36-46, and were the No. 12 seed in the West.
#2 New Orleans Pelicans
Since the New Orleans Pelicans traded away swingman star Brandon Ingram, coach Willie Green’s squad has been searching for another spitfire scorer to pair with their All-Star in Zion Williamson. Kon Knueppel can be just that, operating around the perimeter as Williamson does his damage near the paint as a slasher.
If Williamson can stay healthy, him and Knueppel could be the one-two punch for the Pelicans that takes them over the hump of the conference. The 2024-25 Pelicans ended their campaign with an overall record of 21-61, good for just 14th in the West, and possess the seventh overall pick of the draft.
#1 Brooklyn Nets
As per ESPN’s latest mock of the 2025 NBA Draft, coach Jordi Fernandez’s Brooklyn Nets are expected to pursue Kon Knueppel with the eighth overall pick in the first round. Perhaps the reasoning for his can be attributed to the fact that the franchise is rebuilding with the likes of D’Angelo Russell and Nicolas Claxton, and Knueppel has the potential to become their cornerstone wing for the future.
Brooklyn finished the 2024-25 season as the 12th seed in the East with a 26-56 overall record.
