Kon Knueppel pulled his teammate’s leg to prevent turnover for Duke.
March Madness is just around the corner, and the Duke Blue Devils are again a threat to win the national championship because of a standout freshman class. Cooper Flagg has lived up to the hype as Duke’s latest No. 1 overall draft pick, but fellow freshman Kon Knueppel, Khaman Maluach, and Isaiah Evans have also given the team important minutes. Duke’s freshmen class is advanced beyond its years, and it proved it again on Monday night.
Duke beat NC State, 74-64, in an entertaining game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Flagg was sensational once again, finishing with 28 points, seven rebounds, and three assists in the win. His classmate Knueppel chipped in 19 points in the win, and also made one of the highest IQ plays you will ever see that won’t show up in the box score.
As Duke guard Tyrese Proctor was falling out of bounds during the game, Knueppel grabbed his leg and yanked him back onto the court. That’s one way to prevent a turnover. Watch Knueppel’s heads-up play here:
That won’t go down as an assist, but it really should. Knueppel is another possible lottery pick on Duke, and his high feel for the game is one reason why the NBA likes him so much. This is a perfect example of it.
Duke is in the top-10 of both offensive and defensive efficiency in the country right now. That’s usually a winning formula. Remember how solid this team is physically and mentally when filling out your bracket.