The fourth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, has quickly revived life into The Hive without playing a game yet.

The 6-foot-7 guard from Milwaukee, Wisconsin developed as one of the premier shooters in college basketball and (along with other rookies) impressed head coach Charles Lee, in their championship mentality.

Basketball personality Bill Simmons went on his podcast with analyst Zach Lowe and offered overwhelming praise for the 20-year-old.

"I'm guaranteeing he will be one of the 12 guys in 2028. He is perfect for international basketball. Can play multiple positions, can switch on defense, knows where to go and what to do, like very Derrick White-ish. Just knows how to fit in with other guys and can shoot."

Simmons is hardly wrong. Knueppel was the driving force behind Duke’s ACC Championship run. The Blue Devils needed him even more due to Cooper Flagg suffering an ankle injury in the first game of the ACC Tournament.

With Simmons mentioning Derrick White as a possible comparison though, it’s a wildly interesting comp.

Because White does play with that no-nonsense type of attitude, staying even-keeled and shooting the lights out of the ball. But White is one of the best shot-blocking guards in the league, and Knueppel, while being deceptively athletic, doesn't have the kind of bounce and length that White does to be that kind of force.

Hornets head coach Charles Lee even cracked a joke saying that he didn’t know if Knueppel could dunk, but those doubts were erased after he threw one down.

However, that’s not to say Knueppel is a poor defender by any means, because it’s quite the opposite. He can stay in front of his man without a problem, and has very active hands to go for the steal. After all, he did average a steal per game at Duke.

Additionally, Simmons, even with the utmost of praise, may just be undervaluing how deadly of a shooter he really is. 

He shot 40% from 3-point range, by taking over 200 3s in his freshman season, and he led the ACC at the free throw line, shooting 91%.

It’s understandable why Knueppel may have flown under the radar to most casual basketball fans, especially when Flagg was the main recruit with incredible starpower.

Knueppel is the type of player that seems to be all about ball. Nothing more, nothing less. Just get him on the hardwood, and let him cook.