By ADAM ZAGORIA
Fran Fraschilla says it’s not “fair” that one Duke freshman is on the NBA mock drafts.
No, it’s not projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg.
It’s his fellow freshman Kon Knueppel, who is a now a projected Top 10 pick on multiple mocks.
“I saw some mock drafts have him as high as 5,” Fraschilla said on ESPN during the Duke-Kansas game Tuesday night.
“I just don’t know why they do that. It’s not fair to a young player.”
The consensus top 3 picks — Flagg and the Rutgers duo of Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper — and 10 of the top 11 on ESPN’s mock are college freshmen.
ESPN.com has the 6-foot-7 Knueppel projected at No. 6 to the San Antonio Spurs.
Tankathon has him at No. 7, as does Bleacher Report.
Some 35 NBA scouts were credentialed for the Duke-Kansas game, sources said.
Knueppel, who missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer in Duke’s 75-72 loss to Kansas, is averaging 13.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Blue Devils. He’s shooting 39% from the field and 33% from deep.
He was not originally recruited to Duke as a one-and-done but his size, shooting ability and overall offensive IQ have elevated him on the mock drafts.
“He’s a great shooter, that’s obvious,” one scout told Sam Vecenie of The Athletic. “But it’s not just the shooting. His IQ is great. His feel, his understanding for how to use his body to drive. He’s not a zero on defense.”
Knueppel broke out during a preseason exhibition rout of Bobby Hurley and Arizona State when he shot 4-of-8 from deep and scored 19 points.
“Kon is an old-school guy,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “Midwest, blue-collar. He might as well put his hard hat on every day he comes to the basketball court. He’s a terrific defender. He has great feel. His body is ready for the college game. And his skill level is extremely high. But Kon is very similar to Cooper where he plays very hard all the time and has feel. That’s a great combination to have.”
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