Charlotte Hornets select Kon Knueppel in 2025 NBA Draft

The Charlotte Hornets have selected Kon Knueppel with the No. 4 pick of the 2025 NBA Draft. The shooting guard previously played his college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils.

Coming out of high school at Wisconsin Lutheran, Knueppel was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2024. He was the 19th-ranked player nationally, the fifth-ranked shooting guard, and the top-ranked player from the state of Wisconsin in that recruiting cycle.

In one season with Duke, Kon Knueppel put up some impressive numbers. He’d play in and start all 39 games of his career, averaging 30.5 minutes per game. He’d average 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game on 47.9 percent shooting from the field, 40.6 shooting from three-point range, and 91.4 percent shooting from the free throw line. Then, on the defensive end, he averaged 1.0 steals and 0.2 blocks per game.

Along the way, Knueppel earned numerous honors. That included being on the ACC All-Freshman team and being a Second-Team All-ACC selection. He’d also be named ACC Tournament MVP. That’s after he was Mr. Wisconsin the year before.

As a team, Duke had a phenomenal season. The Blue Devils would go 35-4 and 19-1 in ACC play. They’d win the ACC both in the regular season and in the conference tournament. After that, the Blue Devils would go on a run to the Final Four. That’s the deepest that they’ve made it in the NCAA Tournament since Jon Scheyer took over at head coach.

What NBA Draft experts are saying about Kon Knueppel

Much of the focus around the 2025 NBA Draft has centered around Kon Knueppel’s Duke teammate, Cooper Flagg. However, there’s plenty of talent to go around, and On3 NBA Draft expert James Fletcher broke down everything there is to know about Knueppel.

“Kon Knueppel added value during his freshman season at Duke, not only by playing the sidekick role to Cooper Flagg,” Fletcher wrote. “But by dispelling common assumptions about his game. While he is not a top-end athlete, he held up on defense with promise he can bring value on that end. His biggest asset is of course the 3-point shot, but upside getting to the basket moves him up the board.”

Now, Kon Knueppel is preparing to transition from college to the NBA. It’s a major leap to take. However, the experts clearly think that it’s a move that he’s going to be able to find success with, especially now that he knows where he’s going to be playing next season.