Knueppel shot 40.6% on 3-pointers at Duke and was the ACC Tournament MVP.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. β The Charlotte Hornets drafted Duke’s Kon Knueppel with the No. 4 pick in the NBA Draft.Β
Duke’s Cooper Flagg was the first overall pick to the Dallas Mavericks in a move that had been expected for months. San Antonio took Dylan Harper with the second pick, while Philadelphia selected Baylor’s V.J. Edgecombe No. 3 overall.Β
Charlotte finished last season 19-63, which was the third-worst record in the league.Β
Knueppel will bring any team immediate help with outside shooting after hitting 41 percent from three-point range in his one season with the Blue Devils, playing effective sidekick to Flagg en route to the Final Four. Knueppel should develop into a leader pretty quickly if heβs drafted to a younger team like the Hornets and he is a highly-intelligent basketball player.
βIn my mind, the best pure shooter in the draft,” ESPN’s Paul Bincardi told WCNC Charlotte. “Heβs a floor spacer, great catch-and-shoot guy, very good passer. Those are his elite skills: shooting and passing. Heβs somebody that brings functionality to the offense. Probably has one of the highest IQs in this draft.β
FanDuel Sports Network analyst Terrence Oglesby also praised Knueppel, but questioned his ceiling as a top five pick.Β
βIt goes back to are you going to pick for ceiling or pick for floor?” Oglesby said. “That floor is pretty high. Heβs not a great athlete, heβs not going to dunk on you. He can spotlight at the point for you. Heβs a terrific reader of the game. I think Kon Knueppel is going to be play in the NBA for a long time. Knockdown shooter right away, and a guy who makes good decisions and is competitive and professional.β
