Duke basketball guard Kon Knueppel ended his freshman season with the Blue Devils as one of the NCAA's top prospects.
Knueppel, a 6-foot-7 starter for the Blue Devils, averaged 14.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He also shot 40.1 percent from the 3-point range.
Multiple mock drafts have the Milwaukee native being selected as a lottery pick after he declared for this season’s NBA draft in June.
Here’s a look at some of the experts predictions.
ESPN: First round, No. 8 overall to the Brooklyn Nets
Bleacher Report: First Round, No. 8 to the Brooklyn Nets
Yahoo Sports: First Round, No. 5 to the Utah Jazz
Duke Blue Devils guard Kon Knueppel (7).
Duke Blue Devils guard Kon Knueppel (7).
Rich Barnes-Imagn Images
Surprisingly, ESPN and Bleacher Report have him heading to the Nets with the No. 8 pick. The Nets are in search of young talent since they have their first-round pick for the first time in four season and Knueppel may be their best option due to their need for scoring and talent at a minimal price.
Furthermore, no other outlets had Knueppel heading to Brooklyn, but after dropping two spots in the lottery from No. 6 to No. 8 this could become a reality for them.
Their roster currently includes veterans such as D’Angelo Russell and Cameron Thomas alongside rising stars such as Cam Thomas and Nic Claxton.
According to ESPN’s mock draft, “Knueppel’s reliable offensive play and high level shooting” can be used as a building block for their roster.
The report also notes that the league insiders see the wing’s scoring and playmaking abilities as an additional upside.
Adding Knueppel to the Nets corps will add scoring assistance to the league's last ranked scoring unit, which scores 105.1 points on average, according to Fox Sports team rankings and efficiency report.