DURHAM, N.C. — Logistically speaking, Caleb Foster drew the short stick.
Because what other explanation is there for Duke’s sophomore guard picking that locker?
You see, even in Duke’s state-of-the-art locker room, space is at a premium — especially after the game, when reporters flood that already-narrow room and the blue carpet becomes barely visible through all the foot traffic. Naturally, the media flocks straight to Duke’s 17-year-old phenom, Cooper Flagg, the most-hyped high school prospect of the past decade and the early front-runner to go No. 1 in the 2025 NBA Draft. (Shocker.) But the other place where those reporters migrate? To Duke’s other freshman star-in-the-making, Kon Knueppel.
And then there’s Foster, stuck right in the middle of the two, scrambling not to have his feet stepped on while camera people mob his younger teammates.
But if Duke’s season-opening 96-62 win Monday over Maine is any indication, Foster’s going to be boxing out at his own locker for a few more months. Because though Flagg was this team’s headliner entering the season, it’s clear that Knueppel (pronounced kuh-nipple, to use the Midwesterner’s own words) is just as important to the Blue Devils’ pursuit of a sixth national championship. In their first college game, that dynamic duo combined for 40 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and four steals, regularly looking the best two players on the floor.
“They’re going to be who we’re going to,” senior wing Mason Gillis said, “and it’s up to them to be prepared every single day.”
GO DEEPER
Cooper Flagg flashes in highly hyped Duke debut with highlight dunks
That is not a small burden to bear. Flagg, preordained a future NBA franchise savior from the time he was 15, has at least been dissected at a microscopic level for a while. Every missed shot, every highlight-reel dunk: They’re all inflection points on whether the Maine native is really capable of becoming “that guy.” And while Flagg didn’t have his best shooting night Monday — he missed all four of his 3-point attempts, although at least two rimmed out after appearing to drop — he did everything else that has pro scouts salivating.
“I’ve had days where my shot hasn’t fallen,” Flagg said. “Part of the game is trying to figure out and push through on a day like that. So for me, if it’s not falling, get to the rim.”
And he did. The 6-foot-9 wing drew eight fouls, a seeming string bean who turned into a wrecking ball when he drove. He took defensive charges on the perimeter, and even dived for loose balls when Duke was already up 29. His first-half dunk, when the lane parted like the Red Sea and he took off, is what ordinary fans will get most amped about, but it’s everything else that matters more for this Blue Devils team.
20 minutes in
Kon: 15p (5-8 FG)
Coop: 8p, 3r, 4a pic.twitter.com/BlUnUyQ3zY— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) November 5, 2024
Knueppel is a different story. Despite being a five-star prospect in his own right — the No. 18 player in the 2024 class, per the 247Sports Composite — the Milwaukee native was viewed as a multiyear player entering college, someone who could contribute as a freshman but not necessarily star. But then Duke’s summer practices began, and Knueppel was good. Not just solid; like, really good. And then he did it day after day, and as scouts visited Durham for preseason practices — and their first glimpse at Flagg in a college setting — they couldn’t stop glancing over at this other 6-7 wing.
The Athletic NBA draft expert Sam Vecenie wrote that some scouts are already comparing Knueppel’s upside to that of former Kentucky star Reed Sheppard, the best freshman in college hoops last season, who became the No. 3 pick in this summer’s NBA Draft.
It’s too early to say whether Knueppel can have that kind of impact, but even being mentioned in that vein at this point is saying something.
Two different trajectories to get to this point, but the same outcome: emerging as the pillars of a legitimate national title contender … as teenagers.
“The rare thing for both of those guys, I don’t know if they see much,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “They don’t get into articles and mock drafts. They’re about the work — and even tonight, I guarantee you Kon’s pissed at himself because there’s something he could have done better.”
Can confirm, from inside Duke’s too-crowded locker room.
“We played all right,” Knueppel said of Duke’s 34-point win, in which the Blue Devils shot 55.6 percent, outrebounded Maine 24-9 in the second half and had six players finish in double figures. “I think we’ve got a lot of room for improvement.”
If there is one sequence that speaks to Knueppel’s value, it’s when forward Maliq Brown stole the ball midway through the first half and ran out in transition right away. But Brown slipped on the court a second later, losing his handle. Knueppel, though, was trailing on the play — and made up his mind that he’d be shooting as soon as he got his hands on the loose ball.
Up went the shot and down went the rock, through the net, for one of Knueppel’s three 3’s on the night.
That sort of potent scoring ability? Duke hasn’t had that consistently through Scheyer’s first two seasons. Jared McCain could get hot at times last season, but that was more touch and go. In Knueppel’s case — as he showed when he turned a would-be turnover into a building-shaking trey — anytime he touches it, he’s liable to go (off).
Expecting those two to be this good every game is probably unrealistic, even with all they’ve demonstrated. And, no disrespect to the Black Bears, but they are not on the same level as Kentucky, which Duke plays next week in the Champions Classic, or Arizona, Kansas, Auburn or even the top half of the ACC.
But even if Duke drops a game in that daunting nonconference stretch — or, heaven forbid, more than one — the fact it was two likely lottery picks suiting up every night means Scheyer’s team can reasonably dream championship dreams.
“They have great humility, and they play for the right reasons,” Scheyer said. “It’s not for the attention; it’s because they love it. They love Duke. They want to be a part of a really good team, and that’s unique.”
(Photo of Kon Knueppel: Lance King / Getty Images)
