NBA teams will always make room for sweet-shooting forwards like Duke Blue Devils star Kon Knueppel, who has become one of the best shooters in the country during his freshman season in Durham.
Widely expected to enter the 2025 NBA Draft, he’ll be a coveted pick for teams looking for a wing who can space the floor and stroke it from deep.
5 Potential NBA Landing Spots for Kon Knueppel
Only a freshman, Knueppel has three more years of eligibility but is expected to forego those years and enter the NBA Draft once his season with Duke is finished.
Feel like Kon Knueppel’s season has fallen under the radar.
He’s been REALLY good. Not flashy but extremely effective. Should be on an All-ACC team. pic.twitter.com/O1ebslV392
— Zion O. (@DukeNBA) February 27, 2025
His range is believed to be anywhere from sixth to the late teens. Focusing on that range, here are five teams that would most benefit from landing Knueppel.
San Antonio Spurs
Currently, San Antonio holds the tenth pick, right in the middle of Knueppel’s potential draft stock. With big man Victor Wembanyama already in place as the franchise’s superstar for the next decade and beyond, the Spurs would be smart to surround him with a 6’7″ shooter on the wing.
The Spurs have had trouble with spacing alongside Wembanyama — from Day 1, Knueppel would open up the floor and give the French center space to work as well as an available scoring outlet on the perimeter.
Knueppel has shown strides in individual shot creation as the season has progressed. With San Antonio, he can continue to develop those skills while being a catch-and-shoot threat immediately.
Houston Rockets
The Rockets are bottom five in the league in terms of three-pointers made per game, heavily limiting their ceiling come playoff time. That’s largely due to playing most of their lineups with only two or three viable shooting options.
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Knueppel would represent another. With his length helping him on the defensive end of the floor, the Duke star should be able to crack head coach Ime Udoka’s rotation right away.
Houston has a talented young core and pairing another shooter who also fits that timeline would be a huge benefit to the franchise as they strive to become contenders in the near future.
Orlando Magic
The Magic are another team with a dire need of spacing and three-point shooting through the draft. They signed shooting guard Kentavius Caldwell-Pope to a contract in the last free agency cycle but he hasn’t performed as they’d hoped, shooting only 31.1% from deep.
Orlando has two star forwards, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Adding wings with size who can hold up defensively and space the floor is a must if they want to maximize the potential of both players.
Currently right outside the draft lottery, the Magic are actively dropping largely due to their lack of spacing. Knueppel could come in right away and be stationed on the wing, effectively spacing the floor for the two stars to work.
Oklahoma City Thunder
General manager Sam Presti has stockpiled draft picks and hit on many of them. The Thunder are already a contender for an NBA championship, making them feel more comfortable than other teams in selecting a likely role-playing shooter in the first round of the draft.
Just imagine Knueppel shooting three-ball after three-ball off of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander passes — which is exactly what each of the Oklahoma City wings is doing. The Blue Devil freshman could potentially do it at a higher level while providing more size on the perimeter.
The Thunder hold the LA Clippers pick in 2025, which is currently slotted for the late teens. If Knueppel falls that low, it would be an extremely good selection for Oklahoma City, as he could be a high-level shooting role-player for the years to come.
Portland Trail Blazers
Although it may not be what fans of the rebuilding Trail Blazers want to hear, Knueppel would serve as part of the young foundation of players they’ve already drafted. Scoot Henderson would be the point guard, Shaedon Sharpe the shooting guard, and center Donovan Clingan down low.
The need is for a high-level young shooter who can function without the ball in his hands. Enter Knueppel, who has played well off of teammate and fellow freshman star Cooper Flagg all season.
KEEP READING: Cooper Flagg Mock Draft — Where Will the Duke Star Land?
Portland may find themselves at the peak of Knueppel’s draft range, as they’ll likely be a few spots inside the top 10. Regardless, he’d bring an ability to space the floor and shoot from deep without the ball always being in his hands, a player archetype not currently on the roster.
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