Many in the college basketball community were optimistic about Duke’s chances of taking home the men’s NCAA title this year. Duke dominated its way to a 35-4 record and secured the top seed in the East Region under the leadership of freshman sensation Cooper Flagg.
Despite having a lead for the majority of the game, the Blue Devils lost 70-67 to Houston in their Final Four matchup after collapsing in the closing minutes.
Flagg is expected to declare himself eligible for this summer’s NBA draft, where he would almost certainly be the first choice, even though he hasn’t done so yet. Kon Knueppel, a fellow freshman at Duke, declared on Wednesday that he will declare for the 2025 draft.
On Instagram, teammate Khaman Maluach responded to Knueppel’s statement.
“My brother K2,” he said.
This past season, 6-foot-7 guard Knueppel shot 47.9 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from 3-point range, averaging 14.4 points per game. When Flagg missed time due to an ankle injury, he helped keep Duke afloat and was named to the ACC All-Freshman and All-ACC second team.
Although Knueppel isn’t thought to have the star potential of Flagg, he could be able to carve out a space for himself in the NBA as an outside shooting specialist. Five-time All-Star Chris Mullin and Jared Dudley were cited as his finest play similarities in an NBADraft.net scouting report.
In 21.3 minutes per game, Maluach concluded his rookie season with the Blue Devils with 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks. The 7-foot-2, 250-pound African import appears to be a promising future addition.
