It is with pride and joy that Duke can boast the success of rookies Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel in the NBA. However, it's also with a pinch of sorrow as they look back at how incredible the pair was while playing for the Blue Devils.
In a recent story by Christian Clark and Brendan Marks for The Athletic, the special relationship between the legendary Duke duo while they were in Durham.
Before the 2024-25 season even tipped off, most people were looking to Flagg as the projected No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft, which he eventually became following his freshman season. Knueppel was a different story and wasn't projected to go until the second round, if at all, by many mock drafts.
Yet, Knueppel stepped into a leadership role as a fellow freshman and played a nearly flawless guard role for the Blue Devils, with Flagg playing forward.
Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg were special from Day 1
According to the story, Knueppel was one of the few willing to call out Flagg (or knock him down a peg when necessary) as early as preseason practices.
"One preseason practice, which head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff still point to, Flagg didn’t have his best stuff. The guy who called him out? Knueppel, who didn’t hesitate in telling the future No. 1 pick and national player of the year: Get your head in the game, Cooper Flagg!"
Duke head coach Jon Scheyer, who got to watch both of his former players go on to become top-4 picks in the 2025 NBA Draft, recalled the in-practice moment fondly.
"Cooper looked at him, eye to eye, and said, ‘I got you...' and Cooper went on to just kill the rest of the day in practice," Scheyer told Clark and Marks. "It’s only right, with what they’ve gone through to this point, that it’s going to come down to the two of them (for Rookie of the Year)... I think it’s beautiful."
The two have been playing absolutely lights out for the teams that drafted them just under a year ago. Flagg, who is with the Dallas Mavericks, has averaged 18.8 points (1st among rookies), 6.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game.
Knueppel, who is with the Charlotte Hornets, has averaged 3.3 made three-pointers (1st among rookies and 3rd in the entire NBA), 18.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game.
They are both incredibly well-rounded players on both ends of the court, and it is paying off not only for their own stats but for their teams as well.
The moment between Knueppel and Flagg might have fans missing the days when they shared a roster and wore the same uniform, but it's also a great sign of what's to come for the two star rookies.