Whereas the Nets tipped off Saturday night time in Houston, the basketball world was wanting elsewhere — at Tobacco Highway, for Duke vs. North Carolina.
They have been watching the game’s juiciest rivalry, a sport that would produce 5 first-round picks — and the participant most frequently mocked for the chance that he’ll find yourself in Brooklyn.
Although Duke superfrosh Cooper Flagg is the highest projected decide — the prospect for which a 3rd of the NBA is tanking — his classmate Kon Knueppel spent a lot of the previous month being linked to the Nets by Tankathon.
And if Brooklyn finally ends up outdoors the highest 6, it’s simple to see why.
Knueppel is a artful wing who got here into Saturday’s sport averaging 13.1 factors and taking pictures 37.3 p.c from deep.
He scored a game-high 22 factors and had 5 rebounds and 5 assists in Duke’s 87-70 blowout win over rival North Carolina. His teammate Flagg chipped in with 21 within the win.
“Yeah, for me, it’s his poise,” Nets wing and ex-Duke star Dariq Whitehead instructed The Put up. “It’s the way in which he’s been taking part in that pick-and-roll. He’s been mixing it up with a whole lot of guys, simply exhibiting how poised he’s.
“[His] shot wasn’t going early for him. He continued to stick with it. Started to make better reads offensively and defensively as well. He fought through the slump. It’s a freshman slump. Everybody has it. He fought through it, and that was my biggest kudos to him, just being able to fight through that freshman slump and get on the right page.”
In that aforementioned malaise — bottoming out with a six-point outing vs. George Mason, 0-for-4 from deep — Knueppel shot simply 40.4 p.c and 23.3 from deep.
However since then, he’d averaged 14.4 factors on 48.1 p.c and 44.4 from 3.
“It was definitely the worst slump of my life. It was a rough couple of games,” Knueppel stated. “[I started] trying to be more intentional with holding my follow-through. … It’s more about the mind than anything else.”
Knueppel truly leads Duke in on-off margin — forward of even Flagg — at 10.3 factors, per statistician Evan Miyakawa.
Now the wing is sixth on Tankathon’s Massive Board, and will go within the backside half of the High 10.
“I really like Knueppel from Duke,” ex-76ers scout Mike VandeGarde instructed The Put up. “However he’s extra one-dimensional, and one-dimensional guys often don’t go prime 6, 7 or 8. They begin coming into play about 8-to-15. … The one man that bought drafted tremendous excessive was Reed Sheppard. [And] Knueppel to me will not be Reed Sheppard.
“Is he a really good player and are you excited to have him on your squad? Yeah. But is he Luke Kennard, is he Kyle Korver, is he Gradey Dick? Those guys are really solid [but] you usually don’t draft those guys [top 5] because if you’re in the top 4, 5, 6, you’re usually really bad and need to find that stud. And Knueppel to me isn’t the best player on a playoff team. … [But] I really like his game. And if I’m at eight, I’m looking at him.”
The Nets entered the weekend 15-33, tied with Toronto for fifth within the lottery odds. They have been 4 video games forward of No. 7 Portland.
Typically in comparison with fellow ex-Blue Satan Kennard, or Kevin Huerter, the 6-foot-7, 217-pound Knueppel has a body and physicality extra akin to Joe Harris.
“Its awesome,” Knueppel stated of the physicality. “It juices me up.”
Knueppel’s restricted playmaking and foot pace will possible maintain him outdoors the highest 6.
But when the Nets find yourself seventh or under, he may very well be an important complementary piece due to his taking pictures and off-ball motion discovered from his father Kon Sr., who was Wisconsin Lutheran School’s all-time main scorer.
“He played in a men’s league that he runs. I’ve played in it for a long time,” Knueppel stated. “So these guys aren’t quick or athletic, so studying the best way to transfer off the ball with these guys and play with them. Simply watching him doing it my complete life.
“[I watched] guys that played here like Luke Kennard, Grayson Allen, really good players who know how to play off their shot fake, and really move off the ball well. [Steph] Curry, Klay Thompson, those guys who can play without the ball in their hands.”
