NBA mock draft: Sixers take Duke forward Kon Knueppel at No. 6 overall

The Philadelphia 76ers won't know if they will keep their top 6 protected draft pick until the lottery on May 12, but as it stands at this moment, they have the fifth-worst record in the NBA. They are tied with the Brooklyn Nets in the standings, but the Nets own the tiebreaker due to having a better division record so the Sixers are "ahead" of them in the lottery standings.

With that being said, it's time to start looking at some potential draft prospects for Philadelphia. Of course, the big prize of the 2025 draft is Duke phenom Cooper Flagg, but there are other options on that Blue Devils roster who will give the Sixers a lot of production if selected.

A mock draft performed by The Athletic has the Sixers taking Duke forward Kon Knueppel with the No. 6 overall pick:

Knueppel was one of the players who helped himself most in the conference tournament cycle, leading Duke without Flagg. In the team’s three ACC tournament games, he averaged 21 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists. He showed executives he can be both a strong off-ball scorer and a potentially interesting on-ball player who can dribble, pass and shoot. He’s a terrific shooter, having hit 39 percent from 3 on nearly six 3-point attempts per game.
Defensively, Knueppel plays hard and is highly competitive. He’s a pretty good collegiate defender. However, there are some real issues with his foot speed that will become exacerbated as he moves up to the NBA, and teams are intrigued to see how he’ll defend perimeter players effectively in the increased space. But his ability to play both on and off the ball is extremely interesting, and he’d fit well in Philadelphia with Tyrese Maxey, Paul George and Quentin Grimes.

Knueppel would be an excellent fit in Philadelphia due to his high basketball IQ and understanding of how to get open without the basketball in his hands. He will be a nice fit next to Maxey, Joel Embiid, and George as the Sixers move forward and look to bounce back from a dreadful 2024-25 season.

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: NBA mock draft: Sixers take Duke forward Kon Knueppel at No. 6 overall

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