The Charlotte Hornets faced off against the Utah Jazz on July 11th as part of the Las Vegas Summer League, and it was a contest littered with former Duke Blue Devils. Kon Knueppel and Sion James, the No. 4 overall and No. 33 overall selections in the 2025 NBA Draft, respectively, made their debuts for the Hornets, and Kyle Filipowski, the 32nd overall pick by Utah in the 2024 NBA Draft, continued his fantastic Summer League campaign for the Jazz.
There was tons of variety in the performances between the former Blue Devils, as some shone while others struggled. Filipowski continued his strong Summer League performance, leading the Jazz in scoring once again against Charlotte. The second-year man finished the game with a game-high 32 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists on 12-of-17 (70.5%) shooting from the field and 3-of-7 (42.8%) shooting from three-point range.
Filipowski has been a standout performer for the Jazz through the 2025 Summer League and is continuing to blossom into one of the biggest steals of the 2024 Draft after one of the most productive seasons of any rookie last year.
The former second-round draft choice went for a team-high 22 points to go along with six rebounds and two assists on 8-of-11 (72.7%) shooting from the field and 2-of-4 (50%) shooting from three in the Utah Jazz's 93-89 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in the California Classic earlier this summer.
As for the two incoming rookies from Duke, their nights didn't go as well.
Knueppel struggled from the field, tallying five points on 1-of-8 (12.5%) shooting from the floor and 0-of-5 shooting from beyond the perimeter to go along with a rebound and four assists. James finished his debut with eight points, three rebounds, and three assists on 4-of-7 (57.1%) shooting from the field and 0-of-3 from three.
James showed flashes of being a steal in the 2025 Draft, but Knueppel, a top-five selection, didn't have the opener he was looking for. Obviously, it's one Summer League game and fans shouldn't be worried at all, but Knueppel will certainly be looking for more as the Summer League rolls along.