2025 NBA Draft scouting report...

Summary: Sharpshooting wing with elite touch and high basketball IQ, but athletic limitations may cap his upside.

Comparisons: Cam Johnson, Bojan Bogdanovic

Strengths

Spot-up shooting: Knueppel is deadly from a standstill and off movement thanks to his pure stroke with deep range and a quick release.

Spatial awareness: Savvy mover without the ball, understands spacing, and generally makes all the right plays.

Playmaking: Capable of running pick-and-rolls, though at this stage his passing is best suited in transition and when attacking within the flow of the offense. Such as when he curls off a screen, takes two dribbles into the paint, then tosses a lob to his rolling big.

Versatile scorer off the dribble: Knueppel isn’t an above-the-rim, at-rim finisher, but has crafty footwork inside the paint and uses his big frame to carve out space for layups and floaters. If he can’t get inside, he’s comfortable pulling up or fading away in the midrange. And while he didn’t shoot 3s at a high level at Duke, it’s a projectable strength for him.

Positional defense: With his combination of size, effort and awareness, he was a competent defender at the college level. He should be in time at the NBA level too, though he needs to improve his quickness.

Concerns

Athleticism: Lacks elite burst and verticality, making it tough to imagine him becoming a primary creator or an elite at-rim finisher.

On-ball defense: Moves too slowly laterally. Offenses will target him early in his career, and until he’s able to improve his quickness and his strength.