New Orleans is in prime position to potentially draft a Duke basketball product to pair with its NBA Blue Devil centerpiece.
Represented by 2018-19 Duke basketball one-and-done sensation and former No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson at Monday night’s NBA Draft Lottery in Chicago, the New Orleans Pelicans currently hold just one pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, set to take place at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on June 25–26.”
But with their lone pick landing in the middle of the lottery, the New Orleans Pelicans find themselves positioned right in the range where both Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach consistently appear on big boards and mock drafts. Adding intrigue, recent chatter suggests the Pelicans may be zeroing in on one of this year’s two NBA-bound one-and-done Duke prospects — outside of projected No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg.
“I think the Pelicans are deciding between the two Duke guys — Kon Knueppel or Khaman Maluach — and I think they should take Kon,” The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman said Tuesday morning during his reaction to the NBA Draft Lottery results.
Shining alongside Cooper Flagg as part of Duke’s trio of freshman starters on a Final Four team, the highly skilled guard Kon Knueppel and emerging 7-foot-2 center Khaman Maluach proved to be integral to the Blue Devils’ success. Together, they accounted for over a quarter of the team’s total minutes, showcasing their durability and value on both ends of the floor.
Remarkably, Knueppel and Maluach were the only two Blue Devils to start and play in all 39 games during the 2024–25 season, underscoring their consistency and importance in Duke’s deep tournament run.
Meanwhile, since entering the league six years ago, Zion Williamson had played alongside at least one fellow Duke alum on every New Orleans Pelicans roster — until Brandon Ingram was dealt to the Toronto Raptors in early February, ending that streak.
Looking ahead to the 2025 NBA Draft, the Duke pipeline could be well represented once again. Beyond top prospects Khaman Maluach, Kon Knueppel, and projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, potential second-round selections Tyrese Proctor and Sion James could boost the Blue Devils to their first five-player draft class since 2022 — when Paolo Banchero headlined a five-man group in the final draft following Mike Krzyzewski’s legendary tenure in Durham.
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