2018 NY Knicks Draft
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2018 NY Knicks Draft Speculation

Before the 2018 NY Knicks Draft, speculation arise on how the Knicks were trying to trade up to the fourth pick.  The deal would have taken place with the Grizzlies in an effort to draft Texas center, Mohamed Bamba.   The potential trade brought up contract questions as the Grizzlies insisted on getting rid of Chandler Parsons.  Chandler Parsons is owed 48M over the next two years.  Parsons’ salary would be hard to add to an already overpaid roster featuring contracts paying over 70M to both Joakim Noah and Tim Hardaway Jr.

NY Knicks Stayed With #9 Pick

For the 2018 NY Knicks Draft, the team chose to stay at 9 and watch players like Mohomad Bamba, Trae Young and Collin Sexton vanaish from the draft board.  Talent such as Mikal Bridges, Michael Porter Jr, and Kevin Knox where their for the taking.  We can speculate on what could have been in the future but New York’s man on draft day was Kevin Knox.  

Kevin Knox has tremendous upside.  It is exactly what Scott Perry and the new-look Knicks front office want.  Knox fits the profile of a small forward in the NBA today. He has great size and length at 6’9”, 216 lbs and a 6’11.5” wingspan.  This is comparable to Jayson Tatum and Paul George.  The #9 selection was known for moving well without the ball while at Kentucky. Coach John Calipari’s system allowed him to move freely along the baseline and break up to the wing for a catch-and-shoot, which has allowed him to further develop his 3 point jumper. At Kentucky, Knox hit 34% of his treys during his freshman campaign.

Kevin Knox All-SEC 1st Team

Other interesting stats from Knox’s All-SEC first-team season include his true shooting percentage (56%), and he played the second most minutes of anyone in the SEC, finishing behind his teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Of course, picking an 18-year-old with the ninth overall pick has its drawbacks. He will have to get better on the defensive side of the ball.  With that said, it is not his defensive skill that’s holding him back.  It is his lack of focus and awareness over the course of a game. His ability to process information is lacking at the moment.  His progress in the NBA most likely will take time to develop and adjust. There are many plays in his film that show him closing out on shooters without his hands up.  They also show him not seeing screens coming or knowing how to deal with them. All these mistakes that can be fixed.  They can be improved on with good work ethic.  Kevin Know is a perfect project for Dave Fizdale.

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