There are a lot of expectations surrounding the Duke basketball freshmen class and most of them involve Cooper Flagg, the top ranked recruit in the sport, but another rookie is turning heads during summer workouts.
Kon Knueppel made a strong rise up the recruiting rankings last summer and he continued that momentum into his senior year of high school and now as he begins his first year with the Blue Devils.
Knueppel finished as the No. 18 recruit in the Class of 2024, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, after averaging 25.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game during his senior year and shot 59.4-percent from the field and 39.5-percent from 3-point range.
This summer he attended the Jayson Tatum Elite Camp and continued to impress with his abilities on the court as his name as emerged as a potential mid-first round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and his new teammates in Durham are noticing too.
"Kon is so talented," Tulane transfer Sion James said during a recent appearance on The Brotherhood Podcast on which player has stood out to him during team workouts.
"Super talented. Does a little bit of everything," he continued.
The Wisconsin native is listed at 6-foot-7 and has proven to be much more than an elite shooter, but a good defender, driver, and facilitator of the basketball.
"What drew us to Kon was his competitiveness, his toughness and his great feel for the game," head coach Jon Scheyer said in a statement when the program announced its recruiting class in November.
"He can shoot and score with the best of them but it's his ability to make others better, to pass and to handle, and be a tough competitor on the defensive end as well. That versatility, with the winning pedigree that he brings to the table will be terrific for our program."
"He's very quiet but his game shows a lot for itself," Syracuse transfer Maliq Brown said on the most recent episode of the podcast.
It won't be long before Kon Knueppel is on the floor for the Duke basketball team when its season begins on November 4 against Maine.