The 2025 NBA Draft is as decided at the top as any year, with Cooper Flagg the overwhelming favorite to be selected by the Dallas Mavericks.
Where things get fun and interesting, though, is at the No. 2 selection, which belongs to the San Antonio Spurs. Much like the Mavericks, the Spurs have a strong nucleus to build around with Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox and Stephen Castle.
Wembanyama and Castle are the last two rookies of the year, so could the next draft pick by the Spurs land that title? Well, if things go as planned according to ESPN, it will be a former Duke Blue Devil doing so.
And no, his name is not Cooper Flagg.
Jonathan Givony has San Antonio grabbing Duke shooting guard/small forward Kon Knueppel with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft. He notes that the selection fills the biggest need that the Spurs currently have, as they are set at center with Wembanyama and in the backcourt with Fox and Castle.
Knueppel, who stands 6-7 and is from Milwaukee, averaged 14.4 points with four rebounds and almost three assists per game last year for the Blue Devils. He shot 48 percent from the field, 41 percent from the 3-point line and over 91 percent at the free throw stripe.
In the same article, Jeremy Woo, another ESPN draft analyst, has San Antonio selecting Dylan Harper, the son of former NBA standout Ron Harper.Â
Harper is a point guard/shooting guard who has been the consensus second player behind Flagg for much of the year.Â
The Spurs went 34-48 last year, as they lost Wembanyama for the season after he played in just 46 games. Fox also was injured after coming over from the Sacramento Kings.
