NBA Draft Profile: Should Kon Knueppel’s Polished Offensive Skillset Put Him Atop 76ers’ Draft Board at No. 3 Pick?

The Philadelphia 76ers hold the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft. Kon Knueppel possesses one of the most polished offensive skillsets in this draft class. Could he be the right pick for the Sixers at No. 3? Let’s dive deep into his overall game and how he could potentially fit in Philadelphia.

Prior draft profiles: Ace Bailey | V.J. Edgecombe | Tre Johnson | Dylan Harper

Combine measurements: 6-foot-5 (without shoes), 219 pounds

2024-25 stats: 39 games, 30.5 minutes, 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.2 blocks, 47.9% from the field, 40.6% from 3-point range, 91.4% from the free-throw line

Strengths:

Knueppel is one of the best shooters in this draft class. He has a quick release, knows how to get to his spots and can knock down shots from anywhere on the floor. The Wisconsin native is lethal both as a spot-up shooter and shooting off movement. He connected on 43.3% of his 178 catch-and-shoot 3-pointers in addition to shooting 38.6% on 3-pointers coming off screens. Knueppel was one of college basketball’s most efficient scorers, averaging 1.21 points per shot at Duke. His skills as an outside shooter should allow him to seamlessly make the transition from college to the NBA.

While Knueppel is a great outside shooter, there is more to his game than just his ability to space the floor. He is not going to shock anyone with excellent ball handling, but he does have enough shot creation ability to be able to effectively penetrate to the basket. Once he gets to the rim, Knueppel relies on his combination of size, strength and footwork to score over or through the defense. The 19-year old is also a crafty mid-range scorer, using shot fakes and good footwork to manipulate opposing defenses into getting enough space to get a quality shot up.

Kon Knueppel two foot finishing 👣

62.1% at the rim in the half court despite his lack of vertical pop

So good at utilizing his gravity to attack close outs or get a paint touch off cuts, post ups, and curls. Avoids putting himself in bad spots by playing off two and using his… pic.twitter.com/yv6w4nO4xx

— NBA Draft Dude 🤙 (@CoreyTulaba) April 12, 2025

In addition to his scoring ability, Knueppel is an effective secondary creator. He has good court vision, is a strong passer for his position and plays efficient basketball. While he is not the best athlete, Knueppel makes up for it through his ability to read and process the floor quickly. All of those attributes, combined with his threat to score, makes Knueppel a potent player in the pick-and-roll. He is not likely to become a primary creator at the NBA level, but Knueppel surely has enough playmaking ability to be a strong secondary creator.

Weaknesses:

A lot of Knueppel’s weaknesses are centered around his lack of athleticism. He has slow foot speed, a small wingspan (6-foot-6 1/4) and lacks any vertical ability. He was able to get past his athletic limitations offensively in college using his craft and finesse. However, it is fair to have some concerns about how his poor athleticism will impact his ability to finish around the rim against NBA defenses.

His poor athletic traits could also hamper his defensive ability at the next level. Standing at 6-foot-5 without shoes, Knueppel could theoretically defend either shooting guards or small forwards. However, his lack of foot speed is going to lead to him struggling to defend faster guards on the perimeter. His smaller stature for a forward might give him some trouble defending against bigger forwards as well.

Despite the athletic limitations, Knueppel should be able to avoid being a liability defensively. He plays with a cerebral feel for the game and is often able to anticipate what opposing teams are going to do. This can be beneficial in his ability to make good rotations and can occasionally lead to forcing some turnovers. Nobody is ever going to question Knueppel’s hustle defensively, but he is always to going to be limited by his lack of athleticism.

Final Take:

Knueppel is one of the safest picks in this draft class. He is a high-floor player due to his combination of outside shooting and secondary creation ability. He also flashed star-level potential in the ACC Tournament after Cooper Flagg went down with an ankle injury. Knueppel rose to the occasion, averaging 21.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.7 steals while leading Duke to the conference title. His strong play continued, even after Flagg returned, in the NCAA Tournament. In five tournament games, Knueppel averaged an efficient 15.0 points while shooting 53.7% from the field and 55.6% from 3-point range. This stretch of play, particularly in the ACC Tournament, showed Knueppel had an ability to scale up his production when needed.

He undoubtedly has some potential to develop into a star player. However, becoming a star in the NBA will require him to put a lot of work in to attempt to improve some of his athletic traits. If he fails to do that, Knueppel’s ceiling will ultimately be limited to being a competent starter or sixth man off the bench.

The Sixers would be a good fit for someone with Knueppel’s skillset. His ability to space the floor and be a secondary creator would be a welcome addition to Philadelphia’s roster. He could slot into the starting lineup and be an immediate contributor. While he might not develop into a star player, the Sixers could not go wrong by adding a productive, savvy and polished player to the roster. Knueppel should be one of the top options available for the Sixers on draft night.