Kansas-Duke showdown set for eye-popping number of NBA scouts
11/25/2024 04:18 PM
If the Cooper Flagg effect was not already in full swing, it will be on Tuesday. With Flagg and Duke set to take on No. 1-ranked Kansas in Terry’s Chocolate Vegas Showdown, NBA scouts are already in Las Vegas to witness the game in person.
It is common for scouts to want to watch a game involving the projected No. 1 pick but a jaw-dropping 35 of them have already been credentialed for the game, per insider Adam Zagoria. Flagg, who leads Duke in every major statistical category early on, will face his stiffest test of the young season against the undefeated Jayhawks, led by fifth-year senior Hunter Dickinson.
Flagg is obviously the biggest attraction for the scouts, but the game will be filled with 2025 NBA Draft prospects. Flagg’s freshman teammate, Kon Knueppel, has shot up draft boards early in the year with his impressive play, while scouts will also be keen on Dickinson, Tyrese Proctor, KJ Adams Jr., Zeke Mayo and AJ Storr.
Aside from Flagg and Knueppel, most of the top players in the game will be upperclassmen. In the modern NBA, teams tend to be turned off by older recruits, as scouts claimed was the reason Los Angeles Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht dropped in the previous draft. With that in mind, even with the recent success of players like Knecht and Jaime Jaquez Jr., most of the attention will be on Flagg and Knueppel.
The 35 scouts in the arena will likely not be the only ones watching. The game will be nationally broadcast on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET on Nov. 26 and likely pull in the largest crowd of the young season.
Kansas and Duke feature in Terry’s Chocolate Vegas Showdown
Regardless of who scouts are watching, Kansas and Duke are almost guaranteed to put on one of the best games of the early portion of the 2024-2025 season. The 5-0 Jayhawks already own a win over No. 9-ranked North Carolina and are primed for another big win to boost their early resume.
Duke also owns a big win over a ranked opponent, beating No. 17 Arizona in their most recent outing entering Terry’s Chocolate Vegas Showdown. However, they are just 1-1 against ranked opponents, previously losing to No. 19 Kentucky in their third game of the season.
Terry’s Chocolate Vegas Showdown will consist of a two-game slate with Kansas and Duke featured in the main event. The showcase will also include a game between Furman and Seattle that will tip off three hours before the bluebloods face-off in the T-Mobile Arena.
The post Kansas-Duke showdown set for eye-popping number of NBA scouts appeared first on ClutchPoints.
