Knicks Options At 11 With One Week Remaining Before Draft

The New York Knicks had an upsetting season, forcing them into the lottery for what seems like the 100th time this millennium. As of recent, they have done a pretty good job drafting players that will be of great use to this team going forward.

In 2019, the team drafted RJ Barrett with the 3rd pick in the draft. Going into his 4th season, he looks primed to take yet another leap with his game as he has slowly started filling the holes in his game.

In 2020, the team drafted Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley in the first round. While Toppin has only recently started to show any promise, there are at least some signs of promise. When it comes to Quickley, his three-and-D capabilities make him a rotation player on any team in the league, and I think he is going to also have a major leap in his game next season as well.

In 2021, the team drafted Quentin Grimes and Miles ‘Deuce’ McBride with their picks, and both are defensive studs, with Grimes being able to light it up from behind the arc. For the Knicks, they seem to have one player at every position ready to play next year, so with a draft that seems a little top heavy, we have to examine who is available for New York in the lottery that can make an impact.

1. Johnny Davis

I like Johnny Davis’ game a lot, as he can bring an offensive plug that seemed to go missing at times throughout the season for New York when Evan Fournier would go cold. I would also like to mention that this pick would happen if Evan Fournier was moved off this team for full effectiveness and opportunity for the younger guys to take the reigns.

Image from buckys5thquarter.com

Davis could fill a guard position and his ability to score intrigues every team in the league. While his three point percentage went down this past season, I believe that is from him suddenly having to create a lot of his own offense for Wisconsin, and it also highlights how high his two point percentage is as well. While his not-so-massive frame does not bode well for a defensive stopper, the Knicks have other guys who can provide defense. And let’s be real, can’t be that much worse than Evan Fournier’s perimeter and transition defense.

2. Jalen Duren

At the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, I played a lot of NBA 2K20. I played a bunch of MyLeague with the Knicks and had a stellar team consisting of multiple 90 overall players, but none of them could score rampantly like Jalen Duren.

I know, I know. I just used NBA 2K to justify a draft selection, but finding out who this kid was made me watch some YouTube recruiting tapes, and WOW. Jalen Duren could run the floor like any other player in the NBA when he was 17. He’s 6’11” and has an insane motor on both ends of the floor, combined with a strong build. While Mitchell Robinson has provided a lot of help for the Knicks when available, and Sims looks to be a miniature version of Robinson, Duren could end up being the best of the three players. He plays unbelievably hard on both ends, and has insane athleticism to back it up. On top of that, his ability to take one dribble to a hop step or drop step makes me feel comfortable with him having to put the ball on the floor within 15 feet of the basket, which I cannot trust with Robinson and Sims.

3. Trade Up For Jaden Ivey

Image from Hammer and Rails

Okay, this one is a stretch and requires moves to be made. If I am New York, I am willing to a lot to get this move done. Randle can go, that 11th pick can go, and sadly one of the young guys has to go. RJ, off the table. Quickley, off the table. Most likely, Toppin and another young guy are off the team. While sad, I think Ivey is every bit worth it. He is a three-level scorer with a strong point guard frame of 200 pounds while standing at 6’4”. This frame leads me to believe he can be a good defender, as this is similar to John Wall when he came into the NBA, who was a great defender at his peak.

While I fully believe Quickley and Derrick Rose are able to handle the point guard duties, I think Ivey has incredible potential as a player, and it’s solely on Ivey to become the player he wants to be.

Go Knicks.