New York Knicks - 2018 Draft
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mafra
Legend
Despite taking Frank Ntilikina in the first round last year, trading for Emmanuel Mudiay and signing Trey Burke , the Knicks could still be searching for a true star at the position in the upcoming 2018 NBA Draft .
And this draft just so happens to have at least one player that could fit the bill at No. 9 : Alabama's Collin Sexton . Here's what CBS Sports had to say about the reasoning behind the pick.
Frank Ntilikina is not a point guard. If the Knicks didn't know that a year ago, they know it now. Which is among the reasons Sexton -- the one-and-done star who averaged 19.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 29.9 minutes per game while leading Alabama to the NCAA Tournament -- makes sense in this spot. The 6-3 point guard is super-fast, super-quick and forever aggressive. And those are all great qualities for anybody entering the NBA. He puts pressure on the defense basically every possession. He could be the additional star the Knicks need to return to the playoffs in, perhaps, 2020.
If Sexton is as good as advertised and Ntilikina can be a lockdown defender of shooting guards in the league, this could work.
Latest mock draft
Sexton's ability to dribble, drive and create could eventually combine with big man Kristaps Porzingis to make a deadly pick-and-roll combo on offense.
Joe Giglio may be reached at [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter @JoeGiglioSports . Find NJ.com on Facebook .
And this draft just so happens to have at least one player that could fit the bill at No. 9 : Alabama's Collin Sexton . Here's what CBS Sports had to say about the reasoning behind the pick.
Frank Ntilikina is not a point guard. If the Knicks didn't know that a year ago, they know it now. Which is among the reasons Sexton -- the one-and-done star who averaged 19.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 29.9 minutes per game while leading Alabama to the NCAA Tournament -- makes sense in this spot. The 6-3 point guard is super-fast, super-quick and forever aggressive. And those are all great qualities for anybody entering the NBA. He puts pressure on the defense basically every possession. He could be the additional star the Knicks need to return to the playoffs in, perhaps, 2020.
If Sexton is as good as advertised and Ntilikina can be a lockdown defender of shooting guards in the league, this could work.
Latest mock draft
Sexton's ability to dribble, drive and create could eventually combine with big man Kristaps Porzingis to make a deadly pick-and-roll combo on offense.
Joe Giglio may be reached at [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter @JoeGiglioSports . Find NJ.com on Facebook .
mafra
Legend
From Rotoworld:
Some members of the Knicks organization came away "very impressed" by Kentucky's Kevin Knox after his performance in a group workout on Saturday, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com.
According to the report, Knox competed with Miles Bridges, and the Knicks asked about Knox's availability after the draft. Knox is suddenly rising up draft boards as the second youngest player in the draft. The 6'9" forward could certainly be an option for the Knicks at No. 9, and he would be on the fantasy radar on that shallow roster.
Some members of the Knicks organization came away "very impressed" by Kentucky's Kevin Knox after his performance in a group workout on Saturday, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com.
According to the report, Knox competed with Miles Bridges, and the Knicks asked about Knox's availability after the draft. Knox is suddenly rising up draft boards as the second youngest player in the draft. The 6'9" forward could certainly be an option for the Knicks at No. 9, and he would be on the fantasy radar on that shallow roster.
All that sounds good .. but it takes a special NBA coach to develop a college PG guard to lead the point for a NBA team .. Hornacek was not that coach! The Knicks hiring Mark Jackson as the head-coach would have taken care of developing a young PG/SG tandem in the back-court to have offensive chemistry with a Big-Man to put stability into the team in one season.
Adding PG after PG after PG (Jennings/Jack/Session/Baker/Knits/Burke/Mudiay) to do a simple thing like leading the point and getting everyone involve on the offense takes a coach confidence in developing a PG to his plan and system.
The Knicks would be FOOLS to add another PG to their roster from the draft, until the Knicks find out how well the new head coach Fiz (and coaching-staff) does in one season having the Knicks four guarantee PG (Mudiay/Burke/Burke/Knits) on the roster. Plus the Knicks has Bigger NEEDS to fore-fill at both forwards position from the 2018 draft class.
Knox has the left and right offensive moves to be an explosive SF for the right NBA team !!!
Knicks should only be interested in Knox/Miles/Mikal with the 9th pick !!!!
Memphis Grizz hoping Doncic is the 4th pick to trade to the Spurs for Kahwi .. Pop would take Chandler Parson ridiculous over paid contract to get Doncic in a Spurs uniform.
The flip side to that argument is that how many times do we see raw high upside prospects like Knox (with a questionable motor) come good on that potential?
I'll leave that question open.
That's where our front office's decision is critical because they either take the risk on the high upside talent like Knox putting it together and we can be patient because we don't intend to compete next season. Or they look for a pro ready guy like Miles or Mikal and bet on them developing their game further. Mill's floor is a high 3 and D player, but he's got all star potential if he develops further. Miles strikes me as a Tobias Harris like player and those can be very useful and if he's consistent and develops further he's got all star potential. So it's not like Mikal or Miles are negative picks - they aren't - rather they offer higher floors and a gamble on them becoming more than that projected floor. For me I'd rather gamble on Mikal or Miles because if they don't become more we've got a high upside third option, whereas Knox could be bench fodder.
mafra
Legend
Knox?s body is almost identical to Tatum?s (well, Knox is about 10 pounds heavier with a slightly longer wingspan).
With our interest in Knox and Walker, it appears as if we are doing our best to find the next Tatum or Mitchell in this draft.
I get how attractive potential can be... but... let?s not underestimate how important BPA can also be. If we pass on. Carter, Sexton, Bridges... we better be sure.
I just don?t want to compound things here. We reached last year in the lottery, being tantalized by potential.
For all I know, Walker or Knox the best option at 9. We could look back come 2022, and both Knits and Knox are studs...
Anyway, I juts hope passing on Mitchell for Knits doesn?t infect our decision come Tues.
With our interest in Knox and Walker, it appears as if we are doing our best to find the next Tatum or Mitchell in this draft.
I get how attractive potential can be... but... let?s not underestimate how important BPA can also be. If we pass on. Carter, Sexton, Bridges... we better be sure.
I just don?t want to compound things here. We reached last year in the lottery, being tantalized by potential.
For all I know, Walker or Knox the best option at 9. We could look back come 2022, and both Knits and Knox are studs...
Anyway, I juts hope passing on Mitchell for Knits doesn?t infect our decision come Tues.
If Carter is still there at 9 and we pass on him, Perry and Mills should be fired on the spot. On the other hand, I?m wondering if Mikal Bridges, Miles Bridges, and Sexton didn?t impress at the workouts, although I have seen no reports to support this. However, if Knox and Lonnie Walker looked better than the other guys upon close inspection, then I guess I can live with them at #9. Honestly though, I really don?t think our front office has any idea what it is doing.
mafra
Legend
I agree. I just settled into the dream we get Wendell Carter, who could?ve been a top 3 pick had Bagley not joined him at Duke. He?s the perfect fit at C, sliding next to KP.
An NBA scout, speaking on condition of anonymity, summed up Carter succinctly: ?Everything you would want ? and he can play.?
?He was Defensive Player of the Year for our team,? Duke associate head coach Jon Scheyer said on a conference call. ?I think he?s the perfect modern 5 in the NBA, when you think about offensively he can stretch the floor to the 3-point line, he?s a very good shooter with time. He?s smart, he can pass, he can make reads. And of course he?s got moves in the post. When you looks at the spacing that teams are looking for, he provides that.?
Carter worked out for six teams, including the Knicks, and likely won?t make it past pick No. 8. But the NBA scout believes he still is undervalued.
?Some people will say: Why didn?t he go three or why didn?t he go four?? the scout said. ?He?s more of a sure thing than most of those guys ahead of him.?
The scout said the part of Carter?s game most overlooked is his passing. He isn?t a super athlete, but a stellar rebounder because he knows positioning and reads caroms, according to the scout. He blocked 2.1 shots per game for the Blue Devils, and for a team that had to play zone because of defensive issues, he usually held it together, making up for other?s deficiencies.
?He?s a guy that can make a pretty good impact, I think, within the first year,? said Blake, who compared him to Celtics big man Al Horford because of his two-way versatility.
https://nypost.com/2018/06/16/wendell-carters-ceiling-may-be-even-higher-than-expected/
Of course, now that I?m hoping for Carter... he?ll go 8 to CLE.
Wasn't that impressed with that vid of Knox's workout. ESPN analytics hates Lonnie Walker. I think the Knicks have their diamond in the rough young athlete who has potential in Nits, I'd like to see the Knicks go with a more finished product like Mikal. Taking guys based on age and relative potential is the definition of shooting craps.
mafra
Legend
Amen. Knox and Walker seem too risky. We made our bed with Knits. If we sincerely want to entice a top free agent to come to NY next summer, then this pick has to make an impact in year 1... Carter or Mikhal seem to be our best option.
Knox is like the Jonathan Isaac of last yr's draft, I'm not buying the late hype at all. I do think he has some talent but nothing that stands out. Supposedly a Philly beat writer suggest he dominated a recent workout for Sixers
Here's the thing let's go with believing all the reports as equal...
We're hot for Trae, were keyed in early on Mikal need 3 and D, Lonnie strongly in play impressing some within org, considering Knox as a real threat strong workouts, will draft Porter hoping he falls...this tells me all I need to know.
Where we're drafting is a difficult position to suggest we're walking away with any better talent than those who draft right before or after us, thus why shouldn't we look to trade down or possibly up if at all? The Magic, Sixers, Clippers are working out the same players we are hmmmmm
Really in all honesty the Walker and Knox talk sounds like extreme misdirection and I'm not endorsing every name being thrown out by this organization, who's proven they can't be trusted yet. Trust if Carter falls to 9 something is very awry. Bleacher Report did "dream pick" scenarios for plenty of teams and a Plan A B C for each lottery team and Carter is nowhere to be found. They have Bridges as our guy and I think most analyst feel he's our target should the draft unfold in an organic manner
I'm okay with Bridges but he's not a huge needle pusher here and I think the other Bridges will be just as good if not better
My bad had to modify this, Carter was noted as a Clipper Dream target at pick #12
ESPN did a similar thing recently and has our dream scenario as Trae
~ Bleacher Report
~ Draft Express via ESPN
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to the Cavs at 8, hmm.