Zebra Sports NBA NBA mock drafts: Where will Kon Knueppel, John Tonje, Kam Jones end up?

NBA mock drafts: Where will Kon Knueppel, John Tonje, Kam Jones end up?



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The NBA draft June 25 presumably won’t feature much intrigue for the Milwaukee Bucks, who don’t have a first-round selection this year. But there will be some Wisconsin ties, including Duke University’s Kon Knueppel, a graduate from Wisconsin Lutheran High School two years ago, who’s expected to land in the top 10.

There’s also the University of Wisconsin’s John Tonje, Marquette University’s Kam Jones and the Bucks’ second-round pick, coming in at No. 47.

Here’s how mock drafts size up the prospects:

Kon Knueppel mock drafts

ESPN (Jeremy Woo and Jonathan Givony): No. 8 to Brooklyn Nets.

“Knueppel’s reliable offensive play and high-level shooting would be a nice building block for the Nets, with his skill set augmenting most lineups no matter how they choose to build long term. League insiders see additional scoring and playmaking upside from the consistent wing.”

On3 Sports (James Fletcher III): No. 6 to Washington Wizards.

“The Washington Wizards are another team which suffered the unlucky side of the NBA Draft lottery results, leaving them outside the group of teams picking top prospects. In the absence of a high-upside prospect at a position of need, adding Kon Knueppel helps build out the wing position and guarantees production.”

Sports Illustrated: No. 6 to Washington Wizards.

Yahoo! Sports (Kevin O’Connor): No. 5 to Utah Jazz.

“… If the Jazz stay put, Knueppel makes some sense since he brings more than just a sharpshooter’s stroke, thanks to his brainy pick-and-roll playmaking and crafty scoring feel. Pairing him with the existing young backcourt plus Lauri Markkanen at forward works because Knueppel can simply fit with anyone. There could be some untapped upside in him, too, since he’s got a slick midrange bag and strength scoring inside. To become a player who takes over games, though, he’ll need to overcome his average athleticism.”

The Athletic (Sam Vecenie, pre-lottery projection): No. 6 to Philadelphia 76ers.

“… We’ll go with Knueppel, a bigger shooter who is competitive and tough. He has a case as the best shooter in the class along with (Tre) Johnson, and his overall game was more impactful this season. They’re right next to each other on my personal board. His presence would help the Sixers with different lineup constructions, although some executives worry about what exactly Knueppel’s upside is because of some perceived athletic limitations.”

USA TODAY (Jeff Zillgitt, Lorenzo Reyes, James H. Williams): No. 7 to New Orleans Pelicans.

“He can ignite an offense with his 3-point shot, thanks to an efficient motion, seemingly always ready to receive the ball in his shooting pocket. He can also lace shots from midrange, take care of the ball and is money on free throws. In the ACC tournament, Knueppel averaged 21 points (28 against Georgia Tech) and shot 48.6% from the field, stepping up with Flagg injured. He averaged 20.5 points and shot 11-for-22 from the field (4-for-6 on 3s) in two regional games. He had 21 points, five rebounds and five assists in an Elite Eight victory against Alabama, and 16 points and seven rebounds in a Final Four loss to Houston.”

The Ringer (J. Kyle Mann and Danny Chau): No. 5 to Utah Jazz.

“While he lacks flash, Knueppel is the type of player who causes your dad to lean over, elbow you in the ribs, point at the screen, and say, ‘Did you see the way he read that screen?’ I did not expect that elbowing to be going on in Salt Lake City, but here we are. The biggest dreams die the hardest, but once the coping sets in, they’ll see that Knueppel isn’t exactly what they wanted, but in many ways he’ll be something that they need. One doesn’t have to watch long to get a feel for Kon’s impact: He shoots it well enough that a defense will need to track his whereabouts with constant vigilance, and even if defenders run him down, he’s sturdy as vibranium in the paint playing off two feet. Knueppel will face a learning curve on the defensive end, but he should be able to develop in Will Hardy’s system.”

Kyle Boone, CBS Sports: No. 6 to Washington Wizards.

“Knueppel finished as a 40% 3-point shooter and averaged 14.4 points per game on a Duke team that won 35 games and made the Final Four. He’d make a fine addition to Washington for a Wizards team heading in the right direction.”

Gary Parrish, CBS Sports: No. 6 to Washington Wizards.

“Knueppel was mostly excellent through Duke’s run to the Final Four, averaging 19.0 points while shooting 63.6% from beyond the arc. He’s an elite shooter, obviously, but far from only a shooter — and anybody labeling him as little more than a catch-and-shoot threat is wildly underestimating Knueppel’s versatility as a player who projects as a nice building block for a Wizards franchise that basically needs everything.”

John Tonje mock drafts

ESPN (Jeremy Woo and Jonathan Givony): No. 48 to Memphis Grizzlies

On3 Sports (James Fletcher III): No. 60 to Houston Rockets

Sports Illustrated: No. 59 to Houston Rockets

Yahoo! Sports (Kevin O’Connor): No. 45 to Chicago Bulls

The Athletic (Sam Vecenie): No. 41 to Golden State Warriors

Kam Jones mock drafts

ESPN (Jeremy Woo and Jonathan Givony): No. 53 to Utah Jazz

On3 Sports (James Fletcher III): No. 41 to Golden State Warriors

Sports Illustrated: No. 50 to New York Knicks (Tyler Kolek and Jones reunited!)

Yahoo! Sports (Kevin O’Connor): No. 41 to Golden State Warriors

The Athletic (Sam Vecenie): No. 34 to Charlotte Hornets

ESPN (Jeremy Woo and Jonathan Givony): Darrion Williams, forward, Texas Tech

On3 Sports (James Fletcher III): Javon Small, guard, West Virginia

Sports Illustrated: Ryan Kalkbrenner, forward, Creighton

Yahoo! Sports (Kevin O’Connor): Hunter Sallis, guard, Wake Forest

The Athletic (Sam Vecenie): Sion James, guard, Duke

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