Duke’s ELITE Draft Talent: How Kon Knueppel & Khaman Maluach Fit with Zion Williamson on Pelicans

Duke’s ELITE Draft Talent: How Kon Knueppel & Khaman Maluach Fit with Zion Williamson on Pelicans

what’s Conanipple’s ceiling will Cayman Malawatch be an elite defender and is there a Duke guard later in the draft that could be a steal we’re talking all things Duke with JJ Jackson of the Locked on Blue Devils podcast Let’s go [Music] You are Locked On Pelicans your daily New Orleans Pelicans podcast part of the Locked On Network Your team every day Welcome to another edition of Locked On Pelicans the daily podcast covering your favorite team the New Orleans Pelicans and NBA part of the Lockdown Podcast Network Your team every day available wherever you get your podcast and available on YouTube I’m your host Pelins Insider credential member of the media JakeMadison Nola Jake on Twitter Here with you on this Thursday and we are talking all things Duke and the Blue Devils with JJ Jackson of Locked on Blue Devils He’s going to be on in just a moment here to make sense of Cayman Malawatch Coniple We’re going to look at Seion James Tyrese Proctor everything with the Duke guys in this draft But of course thank you for making Locked On Pelicans your first listen today and every day We’re here Monday through Friday the number one Pelicans podcast covering everything you want to know about this Pelicans team So please subscribe wherever you get your podcast and join over 11,000 Pelicans fans on YouTube as well and become an everyday dare That means you listen Monday through Friday to the Locked On Pelicans podcast Today’s episode of Locked On Pelicans is brought to you by Game Time Download the Game Time app create an account use code locked on NBA for uh for $20 off your first purchase So before we get to to JJ here an announcement that went out in some press releases yesterday Locked on Pelicans along with Lockdown Saints locked on LSU and Lockdown SEC is now available Well it’ll be available on Monday the 16th on the GF Coast Sports and Entertainment Network Yes the same channel where you watch Pelicans games for free 7.1 in New Orleans 9.3 in Baton Rouge Lockdown Pelicans is now going to be on there We’ve got a 2-hour lockdown block every day from 10 to noon Lockdown Pelicans is going to be on GF Coast Sports and Entertainment every single weekday at 10:30 a.m Really cool to be on the same channel where the Pelicans games are playing More on the partnership and everything to come later in the future but really cool to get the show on there And look it’s because of fans like you and your support and how much you care about the team wanting the content out there Pelicans like wanted us on there So really cool to see really excited to be partnering with the Pelicans Gray Television and GF Coast Sports and Entertainment Network So now that that announcement is out of the way I’m really excited about that one Let me know if you’re excited in the comments down below Let’s get to it with JJ Jackson of Locked on Blue Devils Joining me now on Locked On Pelicans I got JJ Jackson of the Locked On Blue Devils podcast JJ I’ve been on your show a couple times but I get to I get to turn the tables on you here now Absolutely Who knew that we had such a big connection over the years between Duke and the Pelicans and the Bayou so I’m fired up to be here Jake look I’m I’m thrilled to have you on and get your expert opinion on a number of the Duke players because there’s two in particular in Khan Canipple and Cayman Malwatch that I think are really in play for the Pelicans at seven So let’s kind of dive into it I want I want to start with Khan Canipple The way I’ve kind of viewed him is maybe the safest pick in the top 10 outside of maybe like Cooper Flag but like you you very clearly see a very good floor for Khan Canel At the very least this is a guy that’s going to shoot it at about 40% from three at the NBA level I’m a little uncertain about what his ceiling could be and who he could become in the NBA What do you think that is what did you see from him this year at Duke i had a hard time putting a ceiling on him for his freshman year at Duke right and so now to think about what that could be at the next level as an even harder challenge going into this past season Isaiah Evans was a freshman on Duke’s basketball team who was regarded in draft circles in the high school recruiting rankings uh greater than Khan Caniple and a lot of people thought that would be the role that he had what ended up being Khan Canipple this season So for him to be as effective of a scorer an initiator uh for Duke running pick and rolls with Cooper Flag with Malawatch there on the inside this was a guy who you just could not knock him off his game He was so level-headed so steady throughout the course of the year Like I don’t want to necessarily throw a ceiling out there for him because he’s been able to do so much and impact winning in so many different ways Yeah I think you know when when you watch him right you you you see an NBA player he moves like one the shooting is really good And then you mentioned you know an area on offense that I think he’s probably underrated in and that’s the playmaking side of things You know he looks like a guy that can run an NBA pick and roll I think Absolutely I mean when he when he was able to do that with Malawatch and Flag two guys that are going to be top 10 picks in their own right when you look at what the draft looks like this season you feel good that that’s going to be able to translate to the next level Obviously Canipple benefited from playing on such a talented Duke Duke where I mean the starting five is all going to be drafted I mean that’s a really really special place uh for that team to be in still stings that they weren’t able to get the job done and fell just a bit short there uh in the final four But with Canipple specifically having so many options not I’ve talked about the role people a lot in this scenario but also his ability to see a Tyrese Proctor or a Seion James or an aforementioned Isaiah Evans as kickout potential uh there to knock down shots and his ability to finish Yeah his game was certainly suited to be the initiator Do So do you think that’s an area he’s got room to grow in you know 2.7 assists aren’t going to like jump out a lot of people if you’re just kind of looking at his seasonl long numbers but it seems like you know to me this is a guy that if Cooper Flag wasn’t on the team he would have been the number one scoring option and we’d probably be looking at a guy that was in the 18 to 19 20 point per game range versus the 14.4 that he had this year It’s so hard to put that in you know if Cooper flag wasn’t on the team right because that’s what I mean that’s a a really frequent conversation that I’ve been trying to have in Duke circles right now because of seriously how good Khan Canipple’s freshman season was Where does this guy rank amongst the great Duke freshman it’s so hard to put something out there because Cooper Flag was with him the entire course of the way But looking at him uh his ability just to impact winning in so many ways I’ve mentioned that already but on the defensive end of the floor putting his body on the line he was always one of the first guys to dive after loose balls all the things that coaches love to see Absolutely gritty competitor for this Duke team I mean yeah he was so much fun to watch So you mentioned the defense there kind of putting his body on the line and like you can see it with just the basketball I keep something I think the Pelicans would really like to add to this team you know with that basketball IQ like he’s you know at worst an average defender I’d say you know especially at the NBA Rookies take a minute to kind of adjust to all of that Where do you see him kind of landing in terms of defense with like his you know not elite athleticism at the NBA level no I I I certainly don’t want to uh you know get way too excited about what he’s going to be able to do defensively because I know that when you’re comparing the two the offense is obviously way more advanced than his defensive game But this is a big guy man Like when you’re watching him play basketball Jake I don’t know But when watching him like I’m not concerned at all about being pushed around right like he’s got a bulky frame to him uh at times almost feels a little topheavy when you see him initiating things from time to time So uh defensively I don’t think he’s going to be pushed around at all I just worry is the foot speed going to be quick enough to stay out there with some bigger guards and that sort quicker guards Yeah You know I I I worry a little bit with that Not overall right like no rookie is going to be unless you’re like Herb Jones or someone like that a lead on the defensive side of the ball your rookie year It usually takes a couple you know but whoever the Pelicans draft at seven and let’s say it’s Khan Canipple here is you’re maybe penciling in him as a starter or one of your first guys off the bench and you would imagine that he’s going to have a more outsized role larger role than he might on a different team and going to be targeted on defense because of that and knowing head coach Willie Green does that then mean Khan Canipple is going to get buried or not get minutes if he’s not doing enough on that side of the ball and that’s not a Khan Canipple thing That’s probably more of a head coach Willie Green kind of thing but something that worries me a little bit So look I know you pay pretty close attention to the Pelicans with a lot of the Duke connection and everything here Like he seems tailor made to fit next to Zion Williamson Yeah The the fact that I got to you know watch a full season of throwing lobs to Cooper Flag you know of throwing lobs to Malaw throughout the course of the season And now you’re asking me to picture what it looks like with Zion flying above the rim and finishing from Coniple passes Like absolutely he’s going to be ready for that I mean Coniple’s been a winner his entire life and loves having kind of above the rim threats around him Uh this is a guy that has come from a basketball family and it is just such a fun player to watch Do you have an NBA comp for him i struggle in in that department Jake I’ll be honest No it’s all good like those I like putting people on the spot but it’s like a bit of an unfair question Totally But like it it seems like people are worried about his ceiling as a player and I’m like I actually think it might be higher than we think Kind of what you alluded to in the beginning just because he was kind of deferring to Cooper Flag the whole season as he should have been obviously but he looks like he can be a really good player You you mentioned one of his teammates came in Malawatch Let’s talk about him coming up here next in today’s episode of Locked on Pelicans Today’s episode of Locked on Pelicans is brought to you by Game Time Game Time is my goto ticketing app for a number of reasons Look they just have the best prices that I’ve seen out there You look at that Celtics Knicks 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lowest prices guaranteed And thank you for making Lockdown Pelicans your first listen today and every day We are here Monday through Friday the number one Pelicans podcast covering everything you want to know about this Pelicans team So please subscribe wherever you get your podcast Join over 11,000 Pelicans fans on YouTube as well and become an everydayer It means you listen Monday through Friday to the Lockdown Pelicans podcast And starting next Monday you can now watch the Pelicans on the Gulf Coast Sports and Entertainment Network every single weekday starting at 10:30 a.m So I’m talking with JJ Jackson of our Locked on Blue Devils podcast We just covered Khan Canipple here Let’s move on to a different a different position and Cayman Malawatch the starting center from Duke I’ve seen his name go as high as four in mock drafts falling to kind of the mid lottery The dude is massive and has all of the size you want for an NBA center Tell me a little bit about his season what you saw from him It’s very rare that you’re able to talk about a basketball player Jake that competed in the FEA Olympics before they ever played a college basketball game Right Yeah Pretty pretty unique huh and that’s where we’re at with Malawatch right so he competed for South Sudan Their FEA program is led by longtime NBA Lou Alden who played of course at Duke for a season before he was a lottery pick to start his career So there was that connection already But Malawatch is a guy who still to this day has been playing basketball for less than five years I mean he’s still so young sport that it’s like so exciting to think about what he can be as he continues to evolve and continues to get better And over the last few seasons for Duke he continues this long run of bigs that Duke has had When you look at Mark Williams to Derek Lively come on mile watch So to after the Olympic run when he first arrived on campus Duke had Derek Lively fresh off his finals run as a rookie there as well And there’s actually really good content that I’d encourage Pelicans fans to go out there and seek from Duke basketball themselves of a workout one-on-one with Lively and Malawatch learning what he just learned from his one year at Duke and one year in the NBA already And you instantly saw that type of lob threat and then defensive force from Malawatch throughout the course of the season Yeah he you know the Pelicans need to add some size and at 7 foot1 with a 7 foot seven 7 foot eight wingspan like this is a dude who has it size to me Yeah that that is size you know the Pelicans are still in the need of some rim protection And while his shot blocking numbers like don’t jump off the page at you and some of the advanced stats don’t like love him in that regard he’s still probably better than anyone the Pelicans would have like I would imagine he would be a day one starter over last year’s first round pick Eve Mei and just give you like a slightly different dimension there like this is a guy that that kind of jumps out as a really tough-nosed player and has really good mobility for someone of his size Like his athleticism is what you want in that prototypical big man And you’ve also seen the NBA trending at least a little bit more going back to kind of a bigger league kind of some of these type of centers and you could run a two big lineup of maybe Eve Mei and Malawatch out there with Zion at the three or something like that you know his athleticism you know was he mainly used as a rim protector at Duke did he defend on the perimeter what did that look like on the defensive side of the ball yeah fortunately for Duke when you had a great defender and Cooper flag and then some of that we’re going to talk about it makes it so much easier right but one of the biggest things that Duke was able to do in their Elite 8 game against Alabama a team that had just set the NCAA tournament record in three-pointers made in their Sweet 16 matchup was Duke asked Malawatch to switch out there on the perimeter take some matchups there defensively and he held his own right so he wasn’t asked to do this all that frequently but when the season’s on the line and I need our big player to make some big stops defensively he was able to do that Uh I thought that was huge for this Duke basketball team is that you saw that growth uh and evolution of his defensive game throughout the course of the year Yeah And I think you know when we were talking about Kong Canipple and his fit with Zion right as just a vertical lob threat Zion’s going to be handling a lot of kind of the point guard duties for this team particularly if they don’t draft a point guard at seven overall or get someone in this draft this off season and they don’t have a lot of money to spend So if you you can still not go that direction get Malawatch at seven if you think he’s gonna be that kind of elite player because he will end up do some doing some vertical spacing I think you know when you watch him play one of the biggest questions I have when it comes to bigs is how are their hands you know you see some dudes who basically have like boulders for fists and the ball hits them and it they just can’t catch a ball for anything Especially at the speed some of these NBA point guards zip the ball in His hands are pretty soft Like this is a guy that seems like he can corral anything handle any type of pass doesn’t always put the ball on the floor which if you’re watching the NBA Finals you’ve seen the Pacers big men do and that’s immediately going to result in a steal His hands really jump out at me with like some finesse and touch to them Absolutely I mean you think uh looking at the numbers this past season Malawatch finished with 81 dunks on the season for Duke In perspective Derek Lively who I’m putting this back to had just 5 That’s his NBA comp It seems like that was pretty easy Had just 54 dunks in one season for Duke So when you’re able to just throw it up there let the guy go get it and come down and finish like Yeah I’m a big fan of that And then I think the next big question Jake is just what can you add offensively to his game because I That’s where we’re going next I I want to go back to if I can to uh you know the Olympic run that he had with South Sudan right i mean this is a team that obviously was not matched at all to to win by any stretch of the imagination but Duke’s first opportunity to see Malawatch in live competition is against Team USA because they’re in the same group And the first thing you see Malawatch do is knock down a corner three with Joel Embiid running out to and contest and knock it down and you assume oh my goodness what is this going to be this year when he comes out and plays and he finishes the year four of 16 from three right so the attempts just were not there and 25% is nothing to write home about but he shot nearly 80% from the free throw line to bring that is really really impressive I I mean that’s that’s the type of skill that could make him an all-star level player right you look at swing skills for some of these NBA prospects and look for like probably 50% of them the swing skill is shooting but that’s normally on a guard a wing someone like that you’re rarely talking about that for a center Everything else for Malawatch seems good and I’m not worried about it at the NBA level At the very least he’s a backup big man that’s gonna have a long career because of his size and the rebounding ability in the hands that he has But if he can develop some sort of spacing in terms of shooting he becomes a very special kind of player I think then you’re looking at you know a better Brook Lopez kind of player who and he was you know in the defensive player of the year running and all everything for it all If you can get Malawatch doing that it’s really good You know his numbers for free throw shooting this year was 76.6% You know that’s an incredible number for someone of his size And that goes back a while Every level you watch him play The dude has a good stroke He’s got good form He’s got good touch on the ball As you said if he can develop that it and it seems like he could It’s maybe theoretical at best but this isn’t someone like you know another player we could look at in this draft and be like “Yeah that dude’s never going to develop an outside shot.” Malach seems like he could And isn’t it I mean isn’t this the fair spot to mention and remind people again that he’s barely played basketball and barely played basketball when you know we’ve got so much tape out there from all these other guys that started when they were three four you know they’re drafted and we’re able to see them in diapers playing basketball That’s not the case with Malawatch I mean that is incredibly exciting to think about Okay now this is going to be your full-time job is to be this basketball player Get to work and the jump shot can come along you know and exactly he’s going to be able to contribute at the NBA level as a rookie even without that jump shot So it’s not like he needs this immediately and if that shot’s not followed it’s like well we can’t play him There are NBA skills that you see in him We’re going to we’re going to go a little rapid fire next Look I I’m a two-lane guy I got to ask you about Seon James I was looking around to see what two-lane stuff I have I got a cup here with me There we go So we’re going to get into him Tyresese Proctor That’s coming up here next in today’s episode of Locked On Pelicans Today’s episode of Locked On Pelicans is brought to you by Wayfair Look there’s nothing like stepping into your own outdoor space and feeling like you’ve escaped the heat into a personal oasis So if you’re wanting to upgrade your patio this season Wayfair has made it so easy to turn it into a space that feels like you Comfortable stylish ready for summer Wayfair is everything you need to level up your outdoor space Conversation sets outdoor bars fire pits hot tubs gazeos yes even the perfect string lights to set the vibe It’s like giving your backyard that resort feel without the resort price tag I love Wayfair for the free delivery Do you have a big truck to go lug things around wayfair it’s free easy delivered right to your door You don’t even need to worry about it And their prices they’re fantastic Basically my whole place is furnished by Wayfair So don’t wait Make your outdoor space your dream oasis today with Wayfair and enjoy it all summer long Head over to wayfair.com right now to shop a huge outdoor selection That’s w afir.com Wayfair every style every home And thank you for making Lockdown Pelicans your first listen today and every day We are part of the Lockdown podcast network your team every day We’re just going to get right into it here I got to ask you about Seion James where you see him falling in this NBA draft You know him and Proctor both seem like end of first round early second round kind of guys If the Pelicans end up trading down could you go for a Tyrese Proctor could you go for a Seon James to add them a little bit later try and add some depth because they do both look like they have NBA skills Could you go for them yes Should you go for them also yes really big on both of these guys right because they’re experienced They’ve got multiple years of college basketball Proctor a guy uh that you know when he first came and played to Duke a year early had from Australia played in the NBA academy over there it was a big deal that he came back for his sophomore season Woge broke the news that Proctor was coming back for another year And that never happened at that time or loge is breaking draft decisions for guys going back to school and that was the praise and accolade that Proctor had who had an incredible season shooting from the outside and then for Cion James to your point had a really good career for two lane but unfortunately for the Green Wave were not doing too much to get to the NCAA tournament you know and being on this big of a stage that was the question so many had for James is how was he going to do with brighter spotlight on him and man he stepped up to the test Started off the year coming off the bench won the starting job and Duke never looked back once he took over that starting guard role No he he’s shown a lot I think and like the three-point shooting his senior year at two lane and this year was really good And if he can maintain that he projects as kind of like a three and D wing and everybody needs those in the NBA If that shot doesn’t translate to the NBA I’m a little more worried about Seion James He’s not really like a primary creator but team defenders like that can definitely carve out roles at the NBA level Proctor’s just got good size at that point guard position I think and a good passer too And the Pelicans need to add some depth there So those are two guys that I am also like I look I’m not taking them in the lottery but if you trade back and you trade that seventh pick for maybe with the Nets and you end up in the mid20s and you draft a big or a wing with a pick in the in the teens take one of those guys because I don’t think they’re going to let you down at the NBA level JJ I I appreciate you coming on and and breaking down some of the Duke prospects for me Tell everyone where they can find you over the Lockdown Blue Devils podcast Yeah real simple lockdown Blue Devils wherever it is that you get your podcast talking all things Duke basketball We’re all over the NBA Let’s get more Duke players to the Pelicans That’d be awesome Look I like it I like all of these guys I think they’re all going to be great at the NBA level So I appreciate you chopping it up with me here That’s going to do it for this episode of Locked On Pelicans I appreciate y’all so much for listening As always I’m your host Jake Madison Nola Jake on Twitter This is the Lockdown Pelicans podcast part of the Lockdown Podcast Network your team every day

Duke’s NBA draft prospects under the microscope: Who will make the biggest impact? Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach lead an intriguing class of Blue Devils eyeing the next level.

Jake Madison and guest J.J. Jackson (@LockedOnBlueDevils) analyze Duke’s top NBA hopefuls, focusing on their potential fit with the New Orleans Pelicans. The discussion covers Kon Knueppel’s versatile skill set, Khaman Maluach’s imposing size and development potential, and late-round sleepers Sion James and Tyrese Proctor. From shooting prowess to defensive upside, each prospect’s strengths are dissected.

Tune in for expert insights on how these Blue Devils could reshape NBA rosters and potentially pair with stars like Zion Williamson.

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