"If he had a better coach, they would have won": Fans call out Jon Scheyer over Kon Knueppel farewell video

Following Kon Knueppel's announcement of his intention to enter the NBA draft, coach Jon Scheyer posted a video message on X thanking Knueppel for his contributions to the program and wishing him well in his future endeavors. The Duke freshman declared for the draft on Wednesday via social media.

Knueppel's decision came as a surprise to some, as he was expected to be a key player for the Blue Devils next season, as Cooper Flagg is also predicted to leave Duke for the NBA.

Just a few minutes after Knueppel's farewell message, the Duke men's basketball account released a video on X of Scheyer sending a heartwarming message to the freshman.

"Loved having Kon in our program," Jon Scheyer said. "So proud of him and what he did this season. He's a guy that's really about competition. He never shied away from the competitive plays that have to be made in order to win at a high level.

"As a freshman, Kon understood that. He played both sides of the ball — he had big scoring games and shooting games for us... The separator is anytime there's a loose ball, Kon Knueppel's putting his body on the line to come up with it."

Fans reacted to Jon Scheyer's remarks in the comments section of the post. Here's what they had to say:

"Maybe if he had a better coach, they would’ve won this year," one fan wrote.

"It's crazy this time last year none of us expected Kon to be as good as he ended up being. Dude was a beast and hated that we only got him for a year," another said.

"He needs another year to develop more. G league future for at least 2 yrs," a fan pointed out.

"Tired of one and dones. The college game is broken," one user commented.

"Strong words from Jon," another added.

"If Kon stayed, He'd be the number 1 pick in the draft next year," one user claimed.

Jon Scheyer will add two five-star recruits in the 2025-26 season

With both Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg departing, Duke will have a very different look next season. Jon Scheyer's team is set to add two five-star recruits — power forward Cameron Boozer and small forward Shelton Henderson.

Boozer, who is the No. 3 player in the country as per 247Sports, will play alongside his twin brother Cayden, who also signed with Duke last November. Another four-star forward, Nikolas Khamenia of Harvard Westlake High, will join the Blue Devils as well.