In his extremely expected Duke debut, Cooper Flagg — the projected Negative. 1 pick out within the 2025 NBA Draft — scored 18 issues because the Negative. 7 Blue Devils defeated Maine 96-62 on Monday.
Flagg made 6 of 15 photographs and added seven rebounds and 5 assists. He exited the sport overdue with cramping.
All visible had been on Flagg, the reigning Nationwide Gatorade Participant of the Past, getting into the sport. But it surely was once fellow freshman Kon Knueppel who made his presence recognized early. Knueppel, a ahead, completed with a game-high 22 issues on 8-of-14 taking pictures, plus 4 rebounds and two assists.
looks as if Coop enjoys the ones breakaway dunks @JonScheyer pic.twitter.com/IEE3VeZ1kq
— Duke Males’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) November 5, 2024
Duke led through 11 issues on the half of and maintained a double-figure govern all the way through lots of the competition. Maine hung round neatly till an 11-0 Duke run early in the second one half of blew issues revealed.
The Blue Devils host Military on Friday prior to a marquee matchup with Negative. 23 Kentucky on Tuesday in Atlanta within the Champions Vintage.
Flagg flashes, as anticipated, in Duke debut
The flashiest Flagg spotlight from his first school competition got here overdue within the first half of when Flagg dribbled round a display and located the lane large revealed. He wasted deny pace, straight away charging up when he noticed the length and raising for a thunderous one-handed dunk; unsurprisingly, that was once the loudest Cameron Indoor Stadium were given all evening.
COOOOOOP (ACCN) pic.twitter.com/K9gkbl04Xu
— Duke Males’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) November 5, 2024
Flagg had every other full-court steal-and-slam halfway via the second one half of, however at this fee, seeking to reserve observe of all his “moments” gets unwieldy nice-looking temporarily. Shocker: the hype round arguably the most efficient highschool probability of the latter decade was once warranted.
As for Flagg’s general competition, highlights apart? It was once additionally most commonly as marketed, despite the fact that he was once moderately passive once more early within the competition. The residue defensive consideration he drew within the first half of opened issues up in a significant approach for Knueppel — extra on him in a 2nd — and Flagg accordingly didn’t drive a lot prior to halftime. He handiest had 8 issues on the fracture — despite the fact that he would’ve had extra if two NBA-esque continuation performs had counted — however nonetheless chipped in 4 assists, 3 rebounds and a scouse borrow within the opening 20 mins.
The 17-year-old phenom was once a lot more assertive in the second one half of and constantly confirmed the flexibility that’s earned him such celebrate. His skill to proceed from a back-to-the-basket submit presence to a face-up perimeter driving force is never viewable from gamers his past.
The one community who may’ve most likely been disillusioned through Flagg’s debut had been the ones anticipating him to govern the Blue Devils in scoring. However that’s by no means been his competition — nor does he wish to pour in issues to be Duke’s maximum impactful two-way participant. That mentioned, if I had been forecasting any person to govern Duke in scoring this season, it will simply be Knueppel. — Brendan Marks, Duke beat editor
The Knueppel hype is actual, and handiest starting
Kon Knueppel scored a team-high 22 issues in his Duke debut. (Lance King / Getty Photographs)
Duke schoolteacher Jon Scheyer has admitted that he and his personnel didn’t be expecting Knueppel — the Negative. 18 hire within the 2024 elegance, according to the 247Sports composite — to be this excellent this early. However the 6-foot-7 wing was once a revelation this summer season, and he temporarily emerged now not simply as certainly one of Duke’s highest gamers, however as arguably its maximum potent scoring warning. That was once on show within the Blue Devils’ two exhibition video games and once more in opposition to Maine.
Knueppel advanced his scoring flair taking part in in opposition to used, more potent gamers in his father’s males’s league again house in Milwaukee, and it’s straight away translated to the varsity degree. Maximum noteceable of all, despite the fact that, is his taking pictures possible. On one first-half form, ahead Maliq Brown stole the ball and was once using in transition, handiest to slide and lose his take care of — however Knueppel, trailing at the play games, picked the ball up and shot it virtually with out having a look, draining certainly one of his eventual 3 3-pointers.
He’s proven the prospective already to pour in a barrage of 3-pointers as soon as the primary one drops, which is strictly the type of microwave scoring Duke must stability out its smothering protection.
Knueppel’s hype teach is already neatly underway — The Athletic’s NBA draft skilled Sam Vecenie wrote that he’s some of the gamers scouts had been maximum inspired with this preseason — however is handiest going to select up steam if he continues this hot scoring date in opposition to higher festival. He looks as if every other lottery lock. — Marks
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The overall rating — Duke even coated a 30.5-point unfold — would possibly now not point out it, however Scheyer’s crew was once a long way from very best in its season opener.
For starters, this was once a single-digit competition for lots of the first half of. Maine even out-rebounded Duke 18-16 within the first half of, in spite of the Blue Devils now not having a rotation participant below 6-foot-5; Scheyer gained’t be at liberty about his crew’s early efforts at the forums.
Additionally utility following transferring ahead is how Duke’s shot vitamin adjustments in similar video games. Later drawing seven fouls within the first seven mins on Monday, Duke handiest drew another private foul within the first half of, losing an early bonus that would’ve simply prolonged its govern.
Duke transformative initiative to strike 3s at a majestic fee — it made 11 in opposition to the Cloudy Bears, upcoming all — however it might probably’t fall in love with the deep ball on the detriment of its penetration within. — Marks
Required studying
(Photograph: Lance King / Getty Photographs)
