The 2025 NBA Draft is right around the corner, and all of the buzz has been surrounding Cooper Flagg and the fact that he is a slam dunk to be picked as first overall by the Dallas Mavericks. There has also been a lot of buzz about who else will be picked because it loses its luster as it goes on. One player that seems to be a lock to be picked in the top 10 is Cooper Flagg's Duke Blue Devils teammate, Kon Knueppel.

The Wisconsin native was being interviewed by USA Today Sports, and he mentioned that seeing Flagg's dominance up close was incredible. He recalled the first time they played pickup together, which was two-on-two. Flagg and Knueppel went on a winning streak, then Flagg switched teams with someone else, and that team went on a big winning streak. The big equalizer was how good Flagg was.

Knueppel elaborated on this, saying, “I remember the first time we played pickup together in the summer, like I was on his team, and we won many games in a row. And then he switched teams with another guy, like he switched with another guy. And then they won many games, like it's rare for guys that can do that, so it was cool to be around.”

This is the second example of a big showing from Flagg in a pickup game. Flagg was a part of the younger select team that scrimmaged against Team USA last summer, and the legend grew from there after current NBA players praised him and his abilities. It's worth noting that Team USA then went on a big run to win the gold medal at the Olympics.

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Flagg is a lock to be drafted first overall, but Knueppel is seemingly a lock to be picked somewhere in the top 10. Some mock drafts have him as high as pick number four or as low as pick number 10.

At 6-feet-7 and weighing 217 pounds, Knueppel is a versatile wing player who can defend multiple positions and play shooting guard or small forward, depending on what is needed. He averaged 14.4 points per game on 47.9% shooting from the field and 40.6% from behind the arc in his one season playing at the college level.

Knueppel's versatility is great, but the fact that he was in awe of what Cooper Flagg could do on a college basketball court means a lot, especially as a fellow former five-star recruit and teammate.