2024-2025 College Basketball / NBA Draft - Volume III

[76ciology]

What worries me about Kon is that he’s not the type of player who has a clear length or athleticism advantage over his defender. Players that fits that description often resemble guards such as Jalen Brunson or Kyrie Irving, guys who can run the 1-5 PnR and force bigs into drop coverage leading to a lot of good looks at the middy, or else blow right by them. But I don’t think Kon has that kind of burst. If a big like Nic Claxton or Gobert plays up at the level of the screen, I doubt Kon can consistently beat them off the dribble. That or they have a really deep bag.

There’s also the growing trend of guards getting bigger, many now stand around 6’4” to 6’6”. While Kon might be able to bully some of them, I don’t think he’ll have that edge against most. And when it comes to athletic 3&D wings? That might be his kryptonite. Did you remember how prime Ben Simmons can shut down Luka?

Now, some might ask.. “Why can Luka or Jokic succeed then?” Well, Luka is essentially a power forward who can run point, he’s 6’8” with a 7’ wingspan, which is incredibly rare, especially for a European prospect. That size is almost similar to LeBron. Jokic is a center with legitimate playmaking skills and great length. That kind of size-skill combination is hard to replicate.

This also helps explain why Kon looked so good in EYBL. If you watch the tape, he played like a version of Kevin Love with point guard skills or atleast like a little shorter version of Luka. The question is.. does he have the same size-skill advantage relative to the competition in the NBA?

There’s a long-standing perception that Duke often builds teams in a way that inflates the performance of their top recruits. A familiar example is Jahlil Okafor, he looked dominant in college, but that didn’t carry over to the next level.

In a similar way, I think you’d have to carefully construct a team around Kneuppel if you want him to overperform. That might mean letting him run the offense as your 220lbs lead guard, surrounding him with wings who can punish mismatches and space the floor, plus a reliable lob threat to open up pressure in the paint.

[Kolkmania]

What worries me about Kon is that he’s not the type of player who has a clear length or athleticism advantage over his defender. Players that fits that description often resemble guards such as Jalen Brunson or Kyrie Irving, guys who can run the 1-5 PnR and force bigs into drop coverage leading to a lot of good looks at the middy, or else blow right by them. But I don’t think Kon has that kind of burst. If a big like Nic Claxton or Gobert plays up at the level of the screen, I doubt Kon can consistently beat them off the dribble. That or they have a really deep bag.

There’s also the growing trend of guards getting bigger, many now stand around 6’4” to 6’6”. While Kon might be able to bully some of them, I don’t think he’ll have that edge against most. And when it comes to athletic 3&D wings? That might be his kryptonite. Did you remember how prime Ben Simmons can shut down Luka?

Now, some might ask.. “Why can Luka or Jokic succeed then?” Well, Luka is essentially a power forward who can run point, he’s 6’8” with a 7’ wingspan, which is incredibly rare, especially for a European prospect. That size is almost similar to LeBron. Jokic is a center with legitimate playmaking skills and great length. That kind of size-skill combination is hard to replicate.

This also helps explain why Kon looked so good in EYBL. If you watch the tape, he played like a version of Kevin Love with point guard skills or atleast like a little shorter version of Luka. The question is.. does he have the same size-skill advantage relative to the competition in the NBA?

There’s a long-standing perception that Duke often builds teams in a way that inflates the performance of their top recruits. A familiar example is Jahlil Okafor, he looked dominant in college, but that didn’t carry over to the next level.

In a similar way, I think you’d have to carefully construct a team around Kneuppel if you want him to overperform. That might mean letting him run the offense as your 220lbs lead guard, surrounding him with wings who can punish mismatches and space the floor, plus a reliable lob threat to open up pressure in the paint.

There are more ways to score as a P&R ball handler other than overwhelming your opponent with speed. Despite having a meh acceleration and top speed he did score incredibly sufficient in the half court. VJ is actually really quick, but his percentages are way, way lower for example.

If Kon did have plus athleticism he would be in discussion for a top 2 pick. The debate is whether he can use his little manipulative tricks around the basket and develop an off the dribble jumper that allows him to be a secondary playmaker despite his physical limitations. If that is the case, he could become more than a very efficient off ball shooter and be a perennial all star that would justify a high pick.

I personally do believe he could use his wide frame to shield off defenders effectively in the NBA and develop an in-between game like Jalen Brunson and TJ McConnell.

[76ciology]

What worries me about Kon is that he’s not the type of player who has a clear length or athleticism advantage over his defender. Players that fits that description often resemble guards such as Jalen Brunson or Kyrie Irving, guys who can run the 1-5 PnR and force bigs into drop coverage leading to a lot of good looks at the middy, or else blow right by them. But I don’t think Kon has that kind of burst. If a big like Nic Claxton or Gobert plays up at the level of the screen, I doubt Kon can consistently beat them off the dribble. That or they have a really deep bag.

There are more ways to score as a P&R ball handler other than overwhelming your opponent with speed. Despite having a meh acceleration and top speed he did score incredibly sufficient in the half court. VJ is actually really quick, but his percentages are way, way lower for example.

If Kon did have plus athleticism he would be in discussion for a top 2 pick. The debate is whether he can use his little manipulative tricks around the basket and develop an off the dribble jumper that allows him to be a secondary playmaker despite his physical limitations. If that is the case, he could become more than a very efficient off ball shooter and be a perennial all star that would justify a high pick.

I personally do believe he could use his wide frame to shield off defenders effectively in the NBA and develop an in-between game like Jalen Brunson and TJ McConnell.

Yeah, I acknowledge there are many ways to score. But when you don’t have a clear size or athleticism advantage, you need a deep bag, like Brunson or Steph. A more comparable example might be Devin Booker. And I dont know how far that Devin Booker archetype can take you. Not good enough on offense as an alpha and not good enough on defense as a very good #2 for my standard (because you would need a generational 2 way #1 like Embiid, Jokic, Bron, KD).

That’s why I’m higher on Tre than Kon, he at least flashes some alpha traits. He still needs to improve at getting to the rim and drawing fouls, but his elite off-the-dribble jumper, combined with his length and athleticism, gives him a strong foundation.

Kon, on the other hand, projects more as a solid #2, but he’s likely just a neutral on defense.

As for VJ, he has the tools to become a #2 with elite defensive upside, if he can piece together his skill set and round out his offensive game.

[mjkvol]

What worries me about Kon is that he’s not the type of player who has a clear length or athleticism advantage over his defender. Players that fits that description often resemble guards such as Jalen Brunson or Kyrie Irving, guys who can run the 1-5 PnR and force bigs into drop coverage leading to a lot of good looks at the middy, or else blow right by them. But I don’t think Kon has that kind of burst. If a big like Nic Claxton or Gobert plays up at the level of the screen, I doubt Kon can consistently beat them off the dribble. That or they have a really deep bag.

There’s also the growing trend of guards getting bigger, many now stand around 6’4” to 6’6”. While Kon might be able to bully some of them, I don’t think he’ll have that edge against most. And when it comes to athletic 3&D wings? That might be his kryptonite. Did you remember how prime Ben Simmons can shut down Luka?

Now, some might ask.. “Why can Luka or Jokic succeed then?” Well, Luka is essentially a power forward who can run point, he’s 6’8” with a 7’ wingspan, which is incredibly rare, especially for a European prospect. That size is almost similar to LeBron. Jokic is a center with legitimate playmaking skills and great length. That kind of size-skill combination is hard to replicate.

This also helps explain why Kon looked so good in EYBL. If you watch the tape, he played like a version of Kevin Love with point guard skills or atleast like a little shorter version of Luka. The question is.. does he have the same size-skill advantage relative to the competition in the NBA?

There’s a long-standing perception that Duke often builds teams in a way that inflates the performance of their top recruits. A familiar example is Jahlil Okafor, he looked dominant in college, but that didn’t carry over to the next level.

In a similar way, I think you’d have to carefully construct a team around Kneuppel if you want him to overperform. That might mean letting him run the offense as your 220lbs lead guard, surrounding him with wings who can punish mismatches and space the floor, plus a reliable lob threat to open up pressure in the paint.

Okafor was a bust because he was a 1990's era throwback drafted at a time when the game had clearly moved to the perimeter. I don't disagree with your point about Duke, but there are many better examples (Ferry, Laettner, etc.)

[76ciology]

While sources say Edgecombe appeared nervous during his private workout in Philadelphia and did not shoot the ball particularly well in an unnatural one-on-one setting, he made a strong impression in interviews and meetings, something the front office values more highly

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45559441/2025-nba-mock-draft-latest-first-second-round-predictions-all-59-picks

[Stanford]

UH OH

[okboomer]

Oh no! Interesting how this comes out almost two weeks later.

[Jailblazers7]

Lmao I just can’t deal with this team anymore

[zaz102]

Lol of course we get lucky enough to not lose the pick, but then we just miss out on the two strong prospects, and the two prospects we were focusing on get these weird reports. Only in Sixersland.

[MVP1992]

NBA, stop the clock. We need more time.

Maybe just put 6 names in a hat and role the dice again.

[Da Doctor]

Just draft Tre. According to all reports, he is one of the most elite shooters we've seen come out in a decade. That skill will always be valuable. Choosing VJ reminds me of when Charlotte took MKG over Bradley Beal in 2012.

[okboomer]

Ace's representation did him no favors. They should have wanted him to visit more teams with the potential of him getting drafted higher only for some other team to potentially trade for him. Terrible job by his group probably costing him alot of money. Im still on board with drafting VJ unless they can trade down for a nice haul. This report doesnt change anything for me.

[Covi_Marsh]

I don’t understand this leak. So two weeks ago they say he’s the favorite to be picked 3rd because of he impressed with his work ethic, personality and interviews.

Now two days before the draft he still impressed but his shooting was underwhelming in the actual workout but that’s okay because we value the interview more? Lol

[sodmoraes]

While sources say Edgecombe appeared nervous during his private workout in Philadelphia and did not shoot the ball particularly well in an unnatural one-on-one setting, he made a strong impression in interviews and meetings, something the front office values more highly

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45559441/2025-nba-mock-draft-latest-first-second-round-predictions-all-59-picks

He´s probably "fultzing" right now, forgeting how to shoot. Probably it´s the water at wells fargo center or smh...

[okboomer]

I don’t understand this leak. So two weeks ago they say he’s the favorite to be picked 3rd because of he impressed with his work ethic, personality and interviews.

Now two days before the draft he still impressed but his shooting was underwhelming in the actual workout but that’s okay because we value the interview more? Lol

I dont either, why is this coming out now? Even if he didnt shoot the ball well they should be trying to drive the price up if they are really looking to trade down if possible. Trying to drum up interest. It doesnt make sense. The agent wouldnt leak it either for the same reason.

[Mik317]

lol cursed franchise

[Jailblazers7]

The only conspiracy theory I can come up with is that they really want him but think SAS will draft VJ at 2 or a team like CHA will trade up to 2 to draft him. So they start leaking negative info to scare teams away.

I don’t actually believe in my own theory but it’s the best I can come up with.

[CPops57]

6'6.5" height and short wingspan at the SF position? That'll go well.

Kneuppel won't be blocking many shots in the NBA. But he's smart enough to get to the right position and he's stout enough to stand his ground and keep his chest on guys. Due to his thick frame, it's hard to see a little bit of a height difference being a major limiting factor here.

But I don’t think Kon has that kind of burst. If a big like Nic Claxton or Gobert plays up at the level of the screen, I doubt Kon can consistently beat them off the dribble.

I think he'll have more success than anticipated getting a good shot off in a crafty way, just like he did in college.

But what happens when any NBA player doesn't think they can get a step on their man? This is something that happens multiple times every possession, by the way.

If they're low IQ, they might try and drive anyway, or shoot a bad shot. (Hi Ace)

If they're a normal player, they'd probably go through their normal offensive progression and swing the ball around the perimeter.

If they're higher IQ, they might recognize where the mismatch on the floor is and try and get it there to take advantage of it.

To me, Kon is more trustworthy than most players to make the right decision here.

[the_process]

While sources say Edgecombe appeared nervous during his private workout in Philadelphia and did not shoot the ball particularly well in an unnatural one-on-one setting, he made a strong impression in interviews and meetings, something the front office values more highly

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45559441/2025-nba-mock-draft-latest-first-second-round-predictions-all-59-picks

Is this being leaked by VJ's camp because he doesn't want to go to Philly?

No reason at all for Morey to leak this.

Oh wait. This could have been someone else in the FO doesn't want VJ, so they leaked this to put pressure on Morey not to take him.

Wasn't there a guy who just left the FO to go to ATL as well?

[CPops57]

The only conspiracy theory I can come up with is that they really want him but think SAS will draft VJ at 2 or a team like CHA will trade up to 2 to draft him. So they start leaking negative info to scare teams away.

I don’t actually believe in my own theory but it’s the best I can come up with.

Here's a theory: putting out false info to find the leaker.