The 2025 NBA Draft lottery occurred on Monday night and the draft order has now been set. One of the college basketball teams with the most at stake was the Duke Blue Devils, who have two players who could be drafted within the top five picks.
Of course, Cooper Flagg is the obvious favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick by the Dallas Mavericks. Kon Knueppel is another name to watch closely as the draft continues to draw closer.
Following the lottery, some disappointing news was revealed about Knueppel. He is dealing with an injury that has limited his ability to do work on the court.
According to Jonathan Givony of Draft Express, Knueppel has been dealing with an ankle injury for three weeks and still isn't back to 100 percent.
Givony shared a quote directly from Knueppel's agent, Mark Bartelstein.
“Kon sprained his ankle 3 weeks ago and is not all the way back yet,” Bartelstein said. “He’s at 85% now and we want him at 100%. He’s really close. Hopefully, he’s back by the end of the week and can participate in our Pro Day Friday.”
Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
Knueppel may have been overshadowed by Flagg when it comes to the media, but his impact for Duke was clear. Without him on the court, the Blue Devils likely would not have made the NCAA Tournament run they made to the Final Four.
During his freshman season, Knueppel played in 39 games. He averaged 14.4 points per game to go along with four rebounds, 2.7 assists, and a steal. Knueppel also shot 47.9 percent from the floor and 40.6 percent from three-point range.
With shooting being such a premium in the NBA, Knueppel has a chance to be drafted very high. Hopefully, he's able to get back to full health and back on the court to show teams what he can bring at the professional level.