Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer has established himself as one of the best recruiters in the entire country, cementing the No. 1 overall recruiting class per 247Sports in each of the past two years. The Blue Devils are in contention to land the top recruiting class once again in 2026, as Scheyer and his staff have already sealed commitments from two 5-star recruits in Cameron Williams and Bryson Howard. However, what Scheyer gets less credit for, and what he's arguably better at than recruiting, is developing elite talent. Duke tends to revolve its teams around elite freshmen with complementary veterans, and Scheyer does as good a job as any head coach in the country at getting his guys clicking quickly on both sides of the ball.
Now, what could spark Duke's next recruiting wave is the current NBA Rookie of the Year odds, as the top of the list features two former Blue Devils. This proves that Scheyer can take the talent he gets and turn them into pro-ready prospects within a year. If early NBA success means anything to top recruits, taking a look at the former Blue Devils who are now rookies in the NBA should be a telling sign that Duke is the place to be.
Former Duke basketball players Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel headline top of the NBA Rookie of the Year odds
According to FanDuel, Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg are tied at the top of the list as co-favorites to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award, each sitting with +115 odds. Flagg was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft to the Dallas Mavericks, and Knueppel went fourth overall to the Charlotte Hornets. Early through their pro careers, both have shown flashes of future star potential.
NBA Rookie of the Year odds per FanDuel:
Kon Knueppel: +115
Cooper Flagg: +115
VJ Edgecombe: +1000
Derik Queen: +1200
Cedric Coward: +1600
Knueppel is already setting records through the first 17 games as a Hornet. After hitting five threes in the Hornets' 144-117 road loss to the Miami Heat on October 28th, Knueppel set a new NBA record with 16 made threes in four career games. Over his last 10 games, the rookie is averaging 22.7 points and 6.5 rebounds on 51% shooting from the field, 42% shooting from three, and 94% shooting from the free throw line, becoming the third rookie in league history to average 20 or more points per game on 50/40/90 shooting splits across a span of ten or more games.
Flagg has shown some efficiency issues through the Mavs' disappointing beginning to the campaign, but has still shown signs of being a future star in the league. In a 118-115 win against the New Orleans Pelicans on November 21st, the top draft choice went for 29 points, seven rebounds, and five assists on 12-of-19 (63.2%) shooting from the field, marking his best outing in a Dallas uniform so far.
The early successes of these two former Duke rookies, especially with how both of them are running away as the ROTY favorites, top recruits should take a look at this when considering where they will play college basketball. Scheyer had both Knueppel and Flagg for one season, and for both of them, it's taken little time for them to adjust to the NBA game, and not only be productive, but be major contributors on their respective teams.