2024 Men's Basketball Recruiting

Maybe I'm the last one, but I'm in the mop up minutes camp. He fails the eye test for me other than as an undersized stretch 4 (which obvi makes no sense for him).

We all know how well the eyeball test works, I look forward to being wrong.

Not the last one, but I take a wait-and-see approach to non-OAD recruits.
 
I haven't been on Kontinent Kneuppel, but that's mostly because I feel I know less about him than the transfers. The more we discuss this, the less certain I am, because there are just more viable options than I recall seeing for Duke before. And at the same time, there are 4 players that I feel are going to eat as many minutes as they possibly can (Proctor, Foster, Flagg, Maluach). SOMEONE (maybe even more than one) who would have a team built around them elsewhere is going to play mop up minutes for Duke. And that may be because someone else explodes and simply cannot be denied. Or it may be that after trying 53 different lineups Coach S decides that someone else fits best with Cooper Flagg, or is the lights out shooter that this team needs, or gives us a defense that the Monstars envy.

Saying "I don't know" makes me feel like I'm doing this internet thing all wrong.

That is a very brave and rarely used statement. It doesn’t generate responses and it only gives a perception that you may sometimes think before typing. You may want to look for for another avenue to hold your type of “out of the box” posting. Good luck to you in your quest.
 
Oh hey, it's getting lively around here. Good to have some company. K2 seems to be a very polarizing prospect. At least the folks who thought he would be only playing mop up minutes seem to be fading out.

I'll admit, hearing so much hype around Sion James has me a bit more open minded about the competition between those 2, because I do think they are in direct competition. But I'm still leaning toward K2, because I think we have enough of what Sion offers (defense, athleticism, finishing ability) elsewhere on the roster, whereas K2's playmaking and elite shooting abliity gives him an upper hand in my mind. But then again, we're talking about a 5th year player vs a 18/19 year old, and that's still a major advantage for Sion.

I think they will both play (which could be bad news for Isaiah Evans), and I believe Sion has a higher chance to start than K2 (because it makes more sense to have him on the floor with Foster and Proctor), but K2 seems likely to be the back up PG/offense initiator right now for me.

I'm still very much in the camp of those seeing Kon as only playing mop-up minutes. This opinion hasn't faded for me. This is based on:

  • My hunch is that he'll be too much of a defensive liability to have out there (much like TJ Power was) - and this roster is constructed for defense
  • Lack of quickness being an issue as he adapts to the college game
  • A lot of competition for perimeter minutes on the roster

I'm higher on Evans having the capacity to adjust to this level at a faster rate than Knueppel. I know there is footage of Kon facilitating offense in HS play, but he looks more forward than guard. With his lack of quickness he's able to use his size as a perimeter player and get a defender on his hip on drives. He's not going to have the same kind of advantage at the college level.

I would be thoroughly shocked if he's used as any sort of offensive facilitator in his first season at Duke that isn't the result of some devastating string of injuries on the roster. And a little less surprised, but still very, if he cracks the regular rotation in year 1 (again, unless some bad injuries are a factor). I'm much higher on Kon's ability at the college level after year 1. I don't see him as an immediate impact player. And with the current landscape of college ball I'm hoping he's patient. Given my expectations as a fan, I'm certainly affording him that patience.
 
I'm still very much in the camp of those seeing Kon as only playing mop-up minutes. This opinion hasn't faded for me. This is based on:

  • My hunch is that he'll be too much of a defensive liability to have out there (much like TJ Power was) - and this roster is constructed for defense
  • Lack of quickness being an issue as he adapts to the college game
  • A lot of competition for perimeter minutes on the roster

The flip side is that Duke might be good enough as a team on defense that it can weather having one minus defender on the court. Even if teams scheme so that a quicker perimeter player is isolated on K2 and able to beat him off the dribble and drive to the basket, he'll have to deal with Khaman as a rim protector and Cooper as a help defender. Prayers up for whatever poor guard has to contend with that. The backline should be good enough to erase a lot of perimeter mistakes (and it's not like the upper classman guards are chopped liver defensively, either).

If there's a situation where Duke needs some added offensive pop, putting K2 or Evans in alongside two of Tyrese/Caleb/Sion and two of Flagg/Maluach/Brown could be a tradeoff worth making.
 
I expect one of Evans/K2 to play around 15mpg while the other plays closer to 5mpg. I'm just not sure yet which one will be most ready to contribute.

Coming in both are ranked similar to McCain and ahead of Foster last year, so I think it's reasonable to expect one to get rotation minutes at the 3 along with Gillis.
 
I expect one of Evans/K2 to play around 15mpg while the other plays closer to 5mpg. I'm just not sure yet which one will be most ready to contribute.

Coming in both are ranked similar to McCain and ahead of Foster last year, so I think it's reasonable to expect one to get rotation minutes at the 3 along with Gillis.

I see a battle for minutes between, Gillis, Evans and K2. From what I've read Gillis and K2 are good spot up shooters and Evans is a scorer. I see the best man2man defender getting the most minutes. I see these limitations, Evans-strength, K2-quickness. I don't think Gillis has either of those weakness.

GoDuke!
 
It is wonderful to read the normal DBR exuberance about next years team rather than the pessimism that filled the board a few weeks ago after the slew of players leaving.
 
I have a good friend whose son went to Purdue and he watches all the Purdue games. He says Gillis was a microwave off the bench. He feels Gillis will be a huge asset for Duke this coming season.

If that's the case, I don't see what Kon does that Gillis can't do. If Kon plays, it will be to give him experience in case of injury or for the future.
 
I have a good friend whose son went to Purdue and he watches all the Purdue games. He says Gillis was a microwave off the bench. He feels Gillis will be a huge asset for Duke this coming season.

If that's the case, I don't see what Kon does that Gillis can't do. If Kon plays, it will be to give him experience in case of injury or for the future.

Both Purdue and Tulane folks say Gillis and Sion are guys who make a difference in ways that do not show up in the boxscore. I keep on hearing folks say, "Duke will get more than they think from this guy."
 
I have a good friend whose son went to Purdue and he watches all the Purdue games. He says Gillis was a microwave off the bench. He feels Gillis will be a huge asset for Duke this coming season.

If that's the case, I don't see what Kon does that Gillis can't do. If Kon plays, it will be to give him experience in case of injury or for the future.
If you just compare the level of basketball played by Kon and Gillis the past 4 years, Kon getting minutes probably won't come at the expense of Gillis.

My suspicion is we were so active in the Portal this year both because of Jon's assessment of who we'd have coming back as well as who we have coming in.
 
Yep

Both Purdue and Tulane folks say Gillis and Sion are guys who make a difference in ways that do not show up in the boxscore. I keep on hearing folks say, "Duke will get more than they think from this guy."

I think that is true of Brown, too. Duke's primary three transfers all seem to share certain qualities, including good defense, efficient scoring, and low usage on offense.
 
Positionless basketball is great for switching defenses. And it's great for having guys like Brown and Gillis and James who can take on multiple roles.

But with the limited time this team has together, and trying to install multiple offensive sets and plays, there's also value in having some key "tent poles" to build the offense around.

I expect Jon will build around three: Proctor at the 1, Flagg at the 4, Maluach at the 5. I also expect Foster to get starters minutes at the 2/1 and Brown to get starters minutes at the 5/4.

If I'm right, that will leave about 60-65 mpg at the 2/3 (wing) for James/Gillis/Evans/K2 to compete for. It's hard for me to see Gillis and James not both getting 20 mpg which would leave K2 and Evans competing for that remaining 20 mpg as the 8th man.

BUT the freshmen do both have higher ceilings than Gillis and James so it is possible that one rises into that 6th or 7th man role by the end of the year with a McCain like season...
 
Positionless basketball is great for switching defenses. And it's great for having guys like Brown and Gillis and James who can take on multiple roles.

But with the limited time this team has together, and trying to install multiple offensive sets and plays, there's also value in having some key "tent poles" to build the offense around.

I expect Jon will build around three: Proctor at the 1, Flagg at the 4, Maluach at the 5. I also expect Foster to get starters minutes at the 2/1 and Brown to get starters minutes at the 5/4.

If I'm right, that will leave about 60-65 mpg at the 2/3 (wing) for James/Gillis/Evans/K2 to compete for. It's hard for me to see Gillis and James not both getting 20 mpg which would leave K2 and Evans competing for that remaining 20 mpg as the 8th man.

BUT the freshmen do both have higher ceilings than Gillis and James so it is possible that one rises into that 6th or 7th man role by the end of the year with a McCain like season...

Very good post. However, I've been disappointed many times with freshmen that have a great reputation for outside shooting. Jared last season was the exception. I think K2 and Evans will get rotation minutes only if they can make the outside shots and be at least average on defense. It's a good time to fill in the empty space here until the first tip.

Goduke!
 
I'm a little concerned about the defensive abilities of the incoming players. Especially K2.

That's fair, but he can negate a lot of that by doing what Jon wants him to do, which is hit some shots. Power couldn't do it, Joey Baker couldn't do it, but the opportunity is there for someone (KK? Evans? Harris?).
The front court with Flagg, Brown and/or Maluach should be good enough to clean up a lot of mistakes...
 
Very good post. However, I've been disappointed many times with freshmen that have a great reputation for outside shooting. Jared last season was the exception. I think K2 and Evans will get rotation minutes only if they can make the outside shots and be at least average on defense. It's a good time to fill in the empty space here until the first tip.

Goduke!

The beauty of this team is we've got a very solid, and by Duke standards experienced, 7 man rotation without K2 or Evans or Ngongba or Harris.

K2 and Evans will have the chance to compete against each other and James and Gillis every day in practice. Both the freshmen are top 15 recruits with high upside and NBA aspirations. Both are ranked around McCain and higher than Power or Baker coming in.

Both should get a shot at earning minutes on the wing in practice and hopefully in early season games. My guess is that one will rise to the top and get late season rotation minutes, but it's also possible both do...

I can't remember the last season where we had such talented players competing for those 7th, 8th, 9th spots in the rotation.
 
Positionless basketball is great for switching defenses. And it's great for having guys like Brown and Gillis and James who can take on multiple roles.

But with the limited time this team has together, and trying to install multiple offensive sets and plays, there's also value in having some key "tent poles" to build the offense around.

I expect Jon will build around three: Proctor at the 1, Flagg at the 4, Maluach at the 5. I also expect Foster to get starters minutes at the 2/1 and Brown to get starters minutes at the 5/4.

If I'm right, that will leave about 60-65 mpg at the 2/3 (wing) for James/Gillis/Evans/K2 to compete for. It's hard for me to see Gillis and James not both getting 20 mpg which would leave K2 and Evans competing for that remaining 20 mpg as the 8th man.

BUT the freshmen do both have higher ceilings than Gillis and James so it is possible that one rises into that 6th or 7th man role by the end of the year with a McCain like season...

Bingo on all that. I see it playing out the same way, almost to a T.
 
On the flip side, here's a scouting synopsis on the EYBL's leading scorer. Sounds to me like a guy who is going to do special things in a Duke uniform. A couple of highly-skilled players pop to mind who were doubted because of their lack of elite athleticism: Luka Doncic and Malcomb Brogdon. Basketball skills and IQ matter...

https://247sports.com/player/kon-knueppel-46115296/

Edit: Sorry, it's a year old but still worth a read if you haven't seen it...

"Kneuppel finished as the leading scorer in the EYBL regular season with almost 23 points per game. He’s not built like a prototypical wing scorer or playmaker as he has a naturally broader build without standout quickness or leaping ability, but what he may lack in natural athletic gifts, he compensates for with physical strength, competitiveness, a terrific mind for the game, and a skill-set that is as polished as it is versatile. Knueppel is an excellent shooter, who connected on almost 47% of his attempts from behind the arc in the spring, but he can also operate from various spots on the floor. He can bring the ball up, initiate offense and play-make. While he’s not blowing by many defenders, he’s an efficient handler who can drive both sides, drop his body to maintain balance through contact, and never gets sped-up. He’s also a threat to take smaller defenders into the post where he can utilize his strength to his advantage. What is constant, regardless of where he attacks, is his ability to dictate his own pace, read the defense, and be a heady passer if he draws secondary defenders or forces rotations. Defensively, there may be times where he can struggle to keep quicker wings in front of him in space, but he’s smart and competitive enough to be in all the right spots and show plenty of fight. He’s also physical switching onto bigger players in the post, and fronting them. Overall, Knueppel is one of the better offensive players in the class. He’s skilled, smart, efficient, productive, and able to create match-ups problems all over the floor. Long-term, his upside will be tied to his ability to hold his own on the defensive end of the floor as the game gets quicker and more athletic."
 
There is also something to be said about not just a players ranking, but also the path. Someone might have the data, but I’d guess that a player who rose in the rankings to end at 15-20 has a better chance of surprising in college than one that dropped from a previous higher ranking to 15-20.
 
There is also something to be said about not just a players ranking, but also the path. Someone might have the data, but I’d guess that a player who rose in the rankings to end at 15-20 has a better chance of surprising in college than one that dropped from a previous higher ranking to 15-20.

Yes I would think so. Harris also a big riser... Hard to believe watching him play against the top HS teams that he's not a top 20 recruit.

I feel like both K2 and Harris are tracking to be big time college scorers and players. Hope there's a plan to keep them around.
 
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