Who Goes #2 In A 2025 Re-Draft? Kevin O'Connor Thinks It Won't Be Dylan Harper
Mar 18, 2026
Hindsight is 20/20, and when you’re dealing with NBA draft picks, it’s easy to say who should have gone number one, number two, and so on after months of watching these rookies play.
For analyst Kevin O’Connor, re-drafting the top two picks of the 2025 class was a no-brainer. Cooper Flagg is still a generational star that the Dallas Mavericks can bank their future on, but as for the second overall selection owned by the San Antonio Spurs, O’Connor stood by a claim that he apparently made around the time of last year’s NBA Draft.
“I said at the time that I would have traded down and not taken Dylan Harper. I would have targeted Kon Knueppel,” he said on the latest episode of his self-titled podcast. “I think, today, they would have taken Kon Knueppel over Dylan Harper. I think, if they could redo it, they would.”
O’Connor made it clear, though, that he wasn’t necessarily badmouthing the actual no. 2 pick. “That is not to say Dylan Harper won’t end up better, long term,” he added. “Dylan Harper is a great downhill attacker and active defender.”
There is indeed a stark difference in the playing styles of Harper and Knueppel, whose most valuable asset is his marksmanship from outside. O’Connor, though, believes that Knueppel better addresses the Spurs’ areas of concern on offense.
“If the Spurs, a team that does have some iffy shooters, had Kon Knueppel who’s made 40% of his threes on eight attempts per game…it would be additive,” KOC pointed out. “Not to mention his pick-and-roll creation ability, his ability in two-man situations and dribble handoffs.”
Though there is indeed an alternate universe in which Knueppel was drafted right after his Duke roommate Flagg, neither Knueppel nor Harper appears to be very interested in what-if scenarios. Instead, they remain focused on what’s in front of them: a potentially deep playoff run for Harper’s Spurs and an absolute dogfight in the play-in tournament for Knueppel’s Hornets.
The next two months will be interesting for Harper and Knueppel. As for the next several years, the future is incredibly bright for these prized lottery picks as well.
