NBA Rumors: Scouts 'Divided on' Duke's Kon Knueppel; No. 10 in B/R's 2025 Mock Draft

Despite his impressive showing in the ACC tournament, Duke guard Kon Knueppel is still generating different opinions among NBA draft evaluators.

ESPN's Jeremy Woo reported that NBA scouts "are divided on Knueppel's ultimate upside due largely to his average physical profile, but there's an attractive floor here as a winning role player who is reliable and should make shots from Day 1."

In his latest mock draft, B/R's Jonathan Wasserman predicted that Knueppel would be selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the No. 10 pick and stated that the freshman "figures to wind up with a team that's looking to fill a need or hole with shooting, high-IQ play and instant results."

Knueppel has averaged 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists in his first season for the Blue Devils, but he upped his production when star freshman Cooper Flagg went down with an ankle injury in the conference tournament quarterfinals against Georgia Tech. Knueppel averaged 21 points across three tournament games to help lead Duke to the ACC championship.

"He played a supporting role much of the season but reinforced that he has the chops as a scorer to step up when called upon." Woo said of Knueppel's performance in the ACC tournament. "His consistency and mature style of play should give him a pathway to helping an NBA team in short order."

Knueppel will have the chance to silence any doubts surrounding his potential at the next level as Duke chases a deep run in the NCAA tournament. The Blue Devils are the No. 1 seed in the East Region and will face the winner of the First Four matchup between American and Mount Saint Mary's in the first round on Friday.

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