Kon Knueppel is staying in North Carolina, as the Duke star freshman was selected fourth overall by the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night in the first round of the NBA Draft. Between Knueppel and first overall pick Cooper Flagg, the former Blue Devils made up 40 percent of the top five picks after playing one of arguably the most talented and easily the most scrutinized teams in the country last season.
While Duke fell one win short of the biggest game of the season, Knueppel played in his fair share of big ones, including the ACC Tournament when Flagg was out with an ankle injury, and he led Jon Scheyer’s team to the conference title, winning ACC Tournament MVP honors along the way. Even those contests, coincidentally played in Charlotte, were bigger than any game the Hornets have played in years, and so Knueppel should be ready for the transition to the league.
Even after just one season in Durham, Knueppel summed up the pressure of being a Blue Devil perfectly to Monica McNutt of ESPN directly after shaking NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s hand.
“There’s a big spotlight at Duke, and us freshmen didn’t shy away from that, and hopefully that’ll prepare us for the next level and carry over.”
It certainly has in the past, which has allowed Scheyer to keep the NBA pipeline that Coach K started in full effect over the past few seasons. With the selection of Flagg at No. 1 overall, Duke passed Kentucky for the most players selected in the lottery in NBA Draft history, a lead that grew with Knueppel and Khaman Maluach. If a fourth Blue Devil somehow sneaks into the back end of the first round on Wednesday night, then the program will equal the Wildcats for the most first-round picks in NBA Draft history.
The fact that many of those players have to deal with the spotlight that Coach K’s historic success has fixated on the program could be why many of them turn into stars at the next level, and why elite recruits continue to pick Durham for their one-and-done season.
Though college basketball continues to get older, and no freshman saw the floor in Florida’s national championship game victory over Houston, Scheyer continues to attract top high school talent and win with it. Duke’s 2025 recruiting class ranks No. 1 in the country, headlined by the Boozer twins, Cameron and Cayden, sons of former NBA star Carlos Boozer.
Knueppel may not be thrust into big games right away on the rebuilding Hornets, but Flagg almost certainly will with the Mavericks, and because of what Knueppel understands about the Duke program, the No. 1 overall pick will be prepared to make a major impact in Year 1.