When Kager Knueppel committed to Duke, the headlines all mentioned his brother, Kon, who had a terrific year at Duke, and was nearly the NBA Rookie of the Year this past season as well.
The younger Knueppel is rapidly building an identity of his own. People still mention Kon in the more recent articles, but now it’s more about distinguishing between the two of them, because, while they both shoot brilliantly, at 6-10, Kager is getting close to a half-foot taller than his older brother. And while Kon could fill in at point guard if needed, Kager could conceivably play at center. They’re very different, but they are the same in this way: both of them had a meteoric rise late in their high school careers.
Kager wrapped up Peach Jam play in the semifinals with 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 blocks. As much as we love Kon’s game, the last time he blocked 5 shots was probably in Pee Wee league.
Look at the swagger Knueppel shows on this three. Coaches will tell you: follow your shot. Always, follow your shot. And great players do follow their shot, as you see here. But at a certain point, if you’re good enough, and you know it’s going in, you might as well get back on defense, which is exactly what Knueppel does here. He has no doubt this shot is going in. He’s playing with immense confidence, which is great to see. It also likely means that he’s nowhere near what he’s going to be.
