Cooper Flagg’s injury and the NBA -draft -ripple effects

When Cooper Flag rolled his left ankle late in the first half against Georgia Tech, the entire Duke Universe kept your breath away. The good news: no fracture, just swelling. The bad news: Duke’s national title violation was just getting bleak.

Flagg was back on the bench in the second half and went under his own strength, without crutches and without boots. In order for Duke to advance through March Madness’s opening weekend, more than one player has to fill his shoes. Who is ready to climb? And who could help your NBA design stock? Let us go into it:

Kon Knueppel

Duke turned to Knueppel to create without flag offices to run the show on Thursday, and the 6-foot 7 newcomer not only appeared, but also took over. Knueppel put a season high of 28 points at 7-of-14 shooting, with eight templates only in turnover in Dukes’s 78:70 win.

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Knueppel played just like the whole season: highly efficient crime with limited mistakes. But he did it with a much higher volume. Knueppel ran in the game with 14 pick-and-rolls in seasonal prosecution data. And he blossomed, came to the edge for clever layups, sprayed the ball for open shots and feeding center Khaman Maluach for three praise.

If half of the basketball is a hint without flag, most of the load falls on Knueppel, which is currently being projected as a top 10 selection. This is his opportunity to show that he can be a primary initiator and not just a shooter that can serve as a connection. And that could push him into the top 5.

The security guard of Flagg and Rutgers, Dylan Harper, are likely to be locked up as the first two picks, with Rutger’s striker Ace Bailey currently becoming the favorite in third place. But whoever goes afterwards is wide open. Knueppel had the chance to do his case.

Khaman Maluach

Maluach’s job description doesn’t change much with flag out, but the importance of his presence has gone up. With 7-foot-2 with a ridiculous wingspan, it has to be even more inner system without helping flag there to get stops. When Duke started the second half, Maluach stated a tone with two blocks in the first two defensive owners to ignite the comeback.

Maluach is also asked to check and roll more often, be it for Knueppel or one of the other guards from Duke. Other games like him against Georgia Tech will consolidate his top 10 status and may give him a boost.

Isaiah Evans

Just as Duke leaned on Knueppel to do more pick-and-roll against Georgia Tech, head coach Jon Scheyer also did more of what works by filtering more 3 points for Evans. Throughout the season, the newcomer Guard has excellent shooting of screens using handoffs and moves to find his shot. At the beginning of the second half, Duke called for him to get a 3 and later let him roll from a screen that hurled him for a layup towards the basket.

Evans is currently a projected second round. It is still raw, especially physical. But at 6-6 he makes 44.4% of his 3 and NBA teams thirsty for high-energy wings like him who can get in and get buckets. Further repetitions come.

The luxury class like Guard Tyese Proctor and Wing Sion James will also meet more options that have a key factor for Duke’s ability to continue to win games. But when you consider how much the league appreciates young people, it is a player like Evans who could benefit the most from an increased opportunities. And when he keeps capitalizing, he sits on the draft radar a year earlier than expected.

The national title chances of the Duke are probably dead if Flag cannot return to the Sweet 16 or Elite eight. But when flag comes back healthy, they are still a title favorite. In any case, this is the moment that produces or breaks a season, and a few NBA design shares.