The Duke Blue Devils and head coach Jon Scheyer is reportedly continuing to pursue Kon Knueppel's brother.
The Duke Blue Devils have been a pipeline for NBA talent in recent years under head coach Jon Scheyer. Last year, both Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel became rising stars at the professional level in their respective rookie seasons.
Knueppel, in particular, was a major surprise. He was overshadowed by Flagg last season, but became an instant standout with the Charlotte Hornets after being selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
During his lone season at Duke, Knueppel averaged 14.4 points, four rebounds, 2.7 assists, and a steal per game, while shooting 47.9 percent overall and 40.6 percent from three-point range in 39 games played. As a rookie with the Hornets, he averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 81 games played, shooting 47.5 percent and 42.5 percent from the three-point line.
With all of that being said, Scheyer and the Blue Devils are now pursuing Knueppel's younger brother.
As shared by Adam Zagoria on X, Duke assistant coach Chris Carrawell was in attendance watching Kager Knueppel on Friday. The program remains highly interested in landing his commitment.
Knueppel also recently spoke out about the interest he is receiving from the Blue Devils. He made it clear that he is interested in more programs than just Duke.
“It’s not just 100% Duke. It’s my own path, so I’ll see other schools and have interest in them,” Knueppel said.
He also spoke out about how he is different than his brother as a player.
“I’m different (than Kon Knueppel) because I’m longer and taller,” he said. “So that’s obviously helped me a little bit, but then I can also get the blocks on defense, and I can shoot as well, so that’s good.”
Only time will tell where the younger Knueppel decides to start his college basketball career. There is no doubt that the Blue Devils have a shot at landing him, but other teams are also pursuing him.
Among the other teams with interest in adding Knueppel are the Purdue Boilermakers, Arkansas Razorbacks, and Wisconsin Badgers.
It will be interesting to see if Scheyer can convince Knueppel to follow in the footsteps of his brother.
