Join UsSince Duke Men’s Basketball’s Elite 8 loss to NC State in the 2024 NCAA Tournament much of the talk in the Duke fandom has immediately shifted to Duke’s roster construction for the 2024-25 season. There is a lot to be excited about in Durham with what feels like a completely overhauled roster; including, exits to the NBA and the transfer portal.
While predicting Duke’s rotation for next year is next to futile, much of the conversation has turned to Kon Knueppel and his ability to contribute meaningfully to next year’s team. There are some, particularly those familiar with the Wisconsin basketball scene, that believe K2 has the skills to contribute early and often during his career at Duke – likening his skillset to Luka Dončić. Others don’t believe he’ll be anything more than a benchwarmer that will struggle to acclimate to the speed, athleticism, and skill of the NCAA and ACC.
So, I am here to answer the question: is Kon Knueppel Luka or lukewarm?
Let’s get into it!
The “Luka” – The Good
Standing at about 6’6” and 215 pounds, the first thing that I notice is that Kon was the primary ball-handler for the 2024 Wisconsin 2A State Champion, Wisconsin Lutheran. Why? K2 has the ability to handle the basketball and has the mind to orchestrate offense. He can handle with both hands and has the kind of frame that allows for really solid body control even against pressure. He does not get sped up, and plays with outstanding poise and strength.
Much like Luka, he won’t blow by you with jarring speed, but he has strength, and a package of dribbling moves that he can use to get space when needed. Make no mistake, Kon has some shimmy to his game, and he consistently dribbles with his eyes surveying the floor. Kon also has a strong base, allowing him to post-up smaller defenders and use his perimeter skills to get by bigger ones. He has great footwork when working his way off of screens to get into his jump shot and when driving the lane; utilizing pivots, ball-fakes, and pump-fakes to get his defender(s) off-balance to make plays for himself and others. He comes off of screens and catch-and-shoot scenarios shot-ready. Because he is so strong and well-balanced, once he gets his shoulder past his defender, it is very hard to get back in front of him without help, creating advantages that allow Kon to make plays. He can score at all three levels at a very proficient level. He doesn’t need much space to get a shot off and he has the strength and skill to create space and get to his spot at an elite level.
Kon is also a really good passer. Kon thrives best in lineups and offensive concepts designed around spacing, efficient cutting, and running the floor. When playing on the block, Kon’s passing instincts allow him to spot cutters or deliver an on-time, on-target pass to the weak-side corner. He is a great outlet passer and has the ability to throw full-court passes in stride to his teammates leaking out in transition. He often passes with a quarterback’s eye, leading teammates into spaces where they can actually do something with the pass once they receive it.
Kon has all of the intangibles, as well: an even-keeled demeanor, leadership, the ability to communicate well on both sides of the basketball, a high basketball IQ, competes at a high-level, the ability to play effectively even when playing heavy minutes, and seems like a great teammate.
Defensively, Kon spent his senior year under Ryan Walz who is an excellent teacher of gap defense. This concept was on full display in Wisconsin Lutheran’s 2A state championship game against De Pere. Duke will get a player that has an advanced understanding of positioning: where to be when one and two passes away, how to see ball and man, how to position oneself to attack the glass on offense and defense, how to wall up. At the high-school level, Kon’s ability to outthink opponents more than makes up for his limitations athletically.
But, what about the college level?
The “Lukewarm” – Areas for Development
While “Kon 2” has such strong fundamentals, he is limited athletically. The fact is, in the ACC, he will likely matchup with teams that have players that are older, stronger, faster, and will jump higher. There will be some defensive or offensive plays that he may not be able to make simply because of those limitations. Secondly, Kon’s defensive stance can be inconsistent: he guards the ball bending forward at the waist and has minimal bend in his knees, causing him to have a higher center of gravity and compromised balance. Offensive players that can get lower with their offensive moves will have more leverage to make quicker moves and be able to negate Kon’s strength in the lane and get around him. What Kon’s defensive stance also forces him to do is rely on already limited lateral quickness to try to stay in front. I can imagine that teams in the ACC could seek to exploit 1-on-1 matchups with Kon as a defender – similar to what teams did to early-season Jared McCain and TJ Power.
Offensively, while Kon has good instincts, he has tendencies that could lead to turnovers at the college level. Kon has a mind for angles and creating advantages and, at times, will attempt to create them by jumping into the air to make passes. Also, Kon sometimes tries to fit passes through tight spaces, particularly when trying to feed cutters in the lane. Passing windows are very small at the next level and, while the reads are good, it will take time for Kon to get the necessary experience to understand how quickly his moves must be made to consistently be successful. Finally, if he is going to spend significant time handling the ball at Duke, he is going to need to tighten his handle and do his best to avoid driving into traffic looking to make plays – that won’t fly in the ACC where every possession matters.
The Verdict
So, is Kon Knueppel the second-coming of Luka Dončić or is he destined to watch the season unfold from the bench?
The truth, as with all matters when discussing extremes, is in the grey area in between.
Fact is, Luka Dončić is a generational superstar. Luka was playing against grown men internationally before entering the NBA – which has a different (and, arguably, better) path to development than the US. One of the core ways that the international game has evolved past the domestic game is in how they develop basketball IQ and playmaking ability. At a similar age, Luka was playing professionally for Real Madrid and was craftier and more creative with the dribble and around the rim; the handle was tighter, the passes were more grounded. Luka was also a better shooting threes off-the-dribble and a better athlete.
There are, however, many similarities in their games at a similar point of their individual development. For one, they both were elite three-level scorers and playmakers and very adept off the pick-and-roll. Secondly, they both had really nice footwork when in the lane, stepping through double teams, being shot-ready coming off of pin-downs and curl actions, and utilizing pivots to work around defenses. Thirdly, Kon and Luka had natural gifts for passing and handling the basketball at a similar size. They absorbed contact and had a similar set of shots and finishes off-the-bounce and on-the-block: turn-around fade-aways, pivots into short jumpers or floaters in the lane, pull-up/spot-up jumpers out to professional ranges, the ability to get downhill with both hands and finish through contact, etc.
The primary difference between Luka at 18 years old and Kon at 18 years old is Luka’s professional polish and magic that Kon has yet to develop. Obviously, there has only ever been ONE Luka. Kon doesn’t need to be Luka to be successful at Duke. Kon only needs to maximize who Kon is and he will be just fine next year and beyond.