Kon Knueppel Got Embarrassed By Fellow Duke Product in Summer League Debut
Kon Knueppel finally made his NBA Summer League debut with the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, but it was not exactly a memorable one for the former Duke Blue Devils star. Knueppel struggled to find his rhythm on offense against the Utah Jazz, scoring just five points on 1-for-8 shooting from the field. He missed all five of his 3-point attempts and turned the ball over four times.
Knueppel also got some sort of a “Welcome to the NBA” moment when fellow Duke product Kyle Filipowski rejected his layup attempt. Despite using his left hand, Knueppel was not able to avoid Filipowski’s reach.
Unlike Knueppel, Filipowski had a spectacular outing, scoring 32 points on 12-for-17 shooting to go along with six rebounds and five assists.
But the last laugh still belonged to Knueppel and the Hornets, who pulled off a 111-105 win over the Jazz at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. It was another rookie who shone for the Hornets, with former UConn Huskies star Liam McNeeley pacing Charlotte with 22 points off the bench while grabbing a total of 12 boards.
Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski (22) fouls out and walks past Utah head coach Will Hardy.
Although they both recently played for the Blue Devils, Knueppel and Filipowski were never on the same Duke team. Filipowski suited up for Duke from the 2022-23 season to the 2023-24 campaign before entering the NBA in 2024. Knueppel, on the other hand, was with the Blue Devils for just a season (2024-25) before getting selected fourth overall by the Hornets in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Up ahead for the Hornets is a date with the Philadelphia 76ers this Saturday at the same venue
