Whereas the Nets tipped off Saturday night time in Houston, the basketball world was trying elsewhere — at Tobacco Street, for Duke vs. North Carolina.
They had been watching the game’s juiciest rivalry, a recreation 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 straightforward to see why.
Knueppel is a artful wing who got here into Saturday’s recreation 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 informed The Submit. “It’s the way in which he’s been enjoying that pick-and-roll. He’s been mixing it up with numerous guys, simply displaying how poised he’s.
“[His] shot wasn’t going early for him. He continued to keep it up. Began to make higher reads offensively and defensively as effectively. He fought by way of the hunch. It’s a freshman hunch. Everyone has it. He fought by way of it, and that was my greatest kudos to him, simply with the ability to battle by way of that freshman hunch and get on the fitting web 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 positively the worst hunch of my life. It was a tough couple of video games,” Knueppel mentioned. “[I started] attempting to be extra intentional with holding my follow-through. … It’s extra in regards to the thoughts than the rest.”
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 Huge Board, and will go within the backside half of the High 10.
“I actually like Knueppel from Duke,” ex-76ers scout Mike VandeGarde informed The Submit. “However he’s extra one-dimensional, and one-dimensional guys normally 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 isn’t Reed Sheppard.
“Is he a extremely good participant and are you excited to have him in your squad? Yeah. However is he Luke Kennard, is he Kyle Korver, is he Gradey Dick? These guys are actually stable [but] you normally don’t draft these guys [top 5] as a result of should you’re within the prime 4, 5, 6, you’re normally actually dangerous and want to seek out that stud. And Knueppel to me isn’t the most effective participant on a playoff group. … [But] I actually like his recreation. And if I’m at eight, I’m him.”
The Nets entered the weekend 15-33, tied with Toronto for fifth within the lottery odds. They had been 4 video games forward of No. 7 Portland.
Usually 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 superior,” Knueppel mentioned of the physicality. “It juices me up.”
Knueppel’s restricted playmaking and foot pace will seemingly preserve him outdoors the highest 6.
But when the Nets find yourself seventh or beneath, he might be an ideal complementary piece because of his taking pictures and off-ball motion discovered from his father Kon Sr., who was Wisconsin Lutheran School’s all-time main scorer.
“He performed in a males’s league that he runs. I’ve performed in it for a very long time,” Knueppel mentioned. “So these guys aren’t quick or athletic, so studying transfer off the ball with these guys and play with them. Simply watching him doing it my entire life.
“[I watched] guys that performed right here like Luke Kennard, Grayson Allen, actually good gamers who know play off their shot pretend, and actually transfer off the ball effectively. [Steph] Curry, Klay Thompson, these guys who can play with out the ball of their fingers.”