Top Six Draft Options for the Knicks at 19 and 21
After a dream (regular) season, the Knicks head into the draft with new needs and expectations. The 2020-21 Knicks showed clear strengths and weaknesses, and those weaknesses can certainly be addressed in the upcoming NBA Draft.
For the first time in eight years, the Knicks didn’t make an appearance at the NBA Draft Lottery with their own draft pick. After finishing with the fourth best record in the East (!!!), the Knicks own picks 19 (their own pick) and 21 (the Mavericks pick from the Tingus Pingus trade). Looking at this draft class and the Knicks’ needs, the Knicks have two opportunities to significantly upgrade their roster heading into next season.
Let’s make a short list of what the Knicks need heading into the draft on July 29:
Scoring
Scoring
Scoring
A true point guard
Frontcourt depth
These weaknesses (mostly the first three) were violently exposed in the Hawks series. When Julius Randle’s jump shot took a two week vacation, only Derrick Rose could at least somewhat provide some on-ball scoring. There was even a point in the series where Alec Burks was the Knicks’ best scoring option. Yikes. After Rose, Immanuel Quickley, Elfrid Payton (five minutes/game, five too many) and Frank Ntilikina (one awful possession) were the only other semi-viable options at point guard. And in the frontcourt, with Mitchell Robinson out and Nerlens Noel hobbled, Taj Gibson ended up playing way more minutes than he should’ve.
The Knicks got the fourth seed last season by busting their asses. This roster is not very talented, but man, did they work hard. And that was a product of Tom Thibodeau completely revitalizing what was a poor defense in 2019-20 into a top five unit. However, when the Knicks needed a bucket, options were limited. Very, very limited.
It’s also important to consider who could be leaving the Knicks this offseason in free agency. Here are the Knicks’ notable free agents this offseason:
Derrick Rose (UFA)
Elfrid Payton (UFA)
Frank Ntilikina (RFA)
Theo Pinson (RFA)
Reggie Bullock (UFA)
Alec Burks (UFA)
Nerlens Noel (UFA)
Taj Gibson (UFA)
Other than Payton and Ntilikina, all of those guys are valuable to the Knicks in some way. Rose provided most of the backcourt offense, especially against Atlanta in the playoffs. Pinson brought the energy every night on the bench. Bullock was their best three point shooter. Burks proved to be a solid scorer off the bench. Noel anchored the paint for most of the season, and Gibson was the Knicks’ only viable backup center who had a bounce back season under Tom Thibodeau. Should even one of those guys leave the Big Apple (including Payton and Ntilikina), the Knicks would lose one of backcourt scoring and depth/three-and-D/energy and morale/frontcourt depth.
After a surprisingly awesome season, the Knicks suddenly have some important decisions to make before October, and it starts this month with the draft. So, let’s go over what prospects would make the most sense for the Knicks at their current draft position.
Chris Duarte, F, Oregon
If the Knicks are looking for a guy who can come in and produce right away, Duarte is the guy. Not only is he a very seasoned prospect, what he brings to the table as a player fits what the Knicks need.
Duarte has a money three pointer. He nailed 42% of his threes on almost six attempts a game last season, and not only were Duarte’s shooting numbers elite, his shooting form is (BTS voice) Smooth. Like. Butter. It’s honestly one of the cleanest shooting forms I’ve ever seen from a prospect. Nothing mechanically needs to change. Duarte also shot 53% from the field and 81% from the line last season, which is extremely promising considering that free throw shooting is a more likely indicator of future shooting success in the league.
There are two more traits that Duarte has as a shooter that I really like. One is his ability to hit threes in multiple different ways. What I mean by that is Duarte can hit threes off the catch, off the dribble, running off of a screen/flare, on the run, and with a hand in his grill. The second trait is Duarte’s ability to move without the ball and locate open spots on the perimeter. For example, he’s really skilled at reading where his defender is off of a screen and choosing whether to flare to the wing/corner or to go around the screen.
Duarte is not only a shooter. He can confidently put the ball on the floor and get to the basket, where he embraces contact and sports a soft touch. While his shot creation skills need improvement, he can still do it when necessary; he’s not only a spot up shooter.
On defense, Duarte plays like an All-Pro safety; his anticipation is sky high (two steals/game last season), as he’s very skilled at reading the passer’s eyes and timing his steal attempts. His rotations are seamless, and Duarte never seemed lost on defense.
However, while Duarte is a great off-ball defender, his on-ball skills aren’t quite as high. He’s not very fast or quick, as quicker guards were able to fly by him on occasion. He also frequently got roasted and toasted down low when matched up against 4’s and 5’s; I wouldn’t expect him to guard big men in the league, it’s just that this limits his defensive versatility.
On offense, as I said before, his shot creation skills need work. His dribble moves right now are very non-complex, which limits his ability to create space for himself. Considering how good of a shooter he is, he may not have to add a ton, but adding some sauce will only increase his value as a player.
Duarte is also 24 years old. Now, just because he’s not this super raw 18 year old with sky high potential, doesn’t mean I don’t think he’s going to be good. Last year, I rebutted the Obi Toppin age-ist people that said his age (then 22) would severely limit his ceiling and that he was already a finished product. But 24 years old as a rookie? Duarte is already older than Jayson Tatum and Brandon Ingram. I don’t think Duarte can’t get better, but looking at his game right now, it doesn’t seem like there’s much room for significant growth.
Although that last sentence isn’t spectacularly promising, there’s a flip side to that: Because Duarte’s game is (or at least seems) refined, we have a far better idea of what his role can be on a team: a three-and-D guy, or at the very least, a knockdown shooter. Both positions are extremely valuable in today’s game; if you can make threes and play defense, you’re going to have a spot on an NBA team.
The Knicks only have one pure knockdown shooter in Reggie Bullock. Yes, the Knicks as a team had their best three point shooting season in awhile (38.8%, 4th in the league), but there’s really no one on the team that has to be attended to at all times on the perimeter because of their three point shooting. Duarte can be that guy. Should he fall to 19 (which I think he can because of his age), my first option would be Duarte, hence why he takes the top spot in these rankings.
Cam Thomas, PG, LSU
Talk about scoring. Cam Thomas is probably the best pure scorer outside the top three in this draft. Check that, Cam Thomas is the best pure scorer outside the top three in this draft.
Thomas averaged a ridiculous 23 points a game last season with LSU. He’s a wired scorer, and he is one of the better shot creators I’ve ever seen coming out of college. He can score from all three levels and in all different ways, whether it’s a pull up three, a mid-range fall away (a favorite shot of his) or an acrobatic layup. When he gets rolling, he’s incredibly tough to stop. He also gets to the foul line frequently (nine games with 10+ FTA) and hit a phenomenal 88% of his free throws last season on almost eight attempts a game. He was really good at angling and moving his body into drawing contact and selling foul calls; his most commonly used move was basically doing the splits in mid-air while shooting, it was quite the sight. The NBA plans to crack down on the Trae Young reverse ass-thrusts and other “unnatural” shot movements, but Thomas’ flails looked natural enough to where a foul would still be called.
His range is legitimately inside half court. I remember about five seconds after turning on the SEC Championship between LSU and Alabama, Thomas casually launched and drilled a 35 footer, and just sat there and said, “What?!”. Not only that, Thomas drilled two more NBA range threes with full confidence within the next five minutes. Thomas thinks he can make every shot on the court, and that’s a good (and sometimes bad, which I’m about to get into) trait to have. In crunch time especially, you need guys like Reggie Jackson who feel like they’re Kobe Bryant and want to take the big shots and actually can make those tough shots.
However, Thomas has some serious weaknesses that need to be addressed in order for him to really succeed in the league.
While he did score 23 a game last season, he was extremely inefficient. He shot 40.6% from the field on 17 shots a game and 32.5% from three on seven threes a game. He had nine games where he shot below 35% on at least 15 attempts. Him thinking he can make any shot on the floor led to poor shot selection. He took too many shots (more so threes) where it looked like he was just throwing up prayer and yelling “Kobe” as he shot it. Can he make those tough shots? Absolutely. But a lot of those shots will infuriate Thibs and Thomas will probably end up on the bench after a 30 foot brick (in his rookie season, at least).
Oftentimes, Thomas was focused too much on scoring and didn’t actively look for open teammates or try to create shots for other teammates (driving and kicking, for example). He averaged only one assist a game last season, including six games with 20+ points and no assists and zero games with more than four assists. Something that separates good players from great players is their ability to make their teammates better while they’re on the court. That wasn’t the case for Thomas. He’s a lot closer to a pure scorer than a facilitator. Most of the time, he was coming off screens looking for a shot rather than initiating the offense. The Knicks have been searching for their cornerstone facilitating scorer at the point guard position for what seems like forever, and unless Thomas acquires the ability to create opportunities for his teammates as well as his own, the Knicks will still be searching.
Thomas is also not a good defender. Now, can that be fixed under Tom Thibodeau? Yes it can. Just ask everyone on last year’s roster. However, the tape is not great. Thomas often got caught in no man’s land whenever there was any kind of movement or screen action on defense, leaving his man wide open for a jumper or giving his man a free drive to the basket. He wasn’t great at moving his feet and staying in front of his man, and he had a tendency to bite on shot fakes and get blown by a few more times than I’d like. Again, his fundamentals can absolutely improve under Thibs, and Thomas has solid size to guard 1’s and 2’s, but any kind of natural defensive ability was just not there.
In conclusion, Thomas knows how to get a bucket, and that’s extremely valuable in today’s NBA and something that the Knicks desperately need. Even though he’s not a great defender, he’ ll be able to, at the very least, carve out a role on an NBA team as at least a microwave scorer off the bench. Tom Thibodeau knows how to improve defense, and if Thomas even becomes a decent defender, this would be a slam dunk pick for the Knicks at either 19 or 21.
Jared Butler, G, Butler
I wrote last offseason about how Obi Toppin was the biggest loser from there being no NCAA Tournament in 2020. Dayton was going to be a one seed, and Toppin was their best player. He didn’t get the opportunity to boost his draft stock with the bright lights of March Madness shining.
In 2021, Jared Butler had that opportunity, and he certainly made the most of it.
Most will remember Davion Mitchell as the face of Baylor’s national championship team, but it was Butler that secured Final Four Most Outstanding Player and led the team in scoring against Houston (17) and Gonzaga (22). His shot was money when it mattered, and he was clearly embracing the moment.
Butler is a guy who has the skills to play in the NBA for a long time. He’s a sniper from long range (42% 3PFG% on six attempts/game) who’s got a smooth stroke and NBA range. He’s extremely skilled at moving without the ball and locating to open spots. When he’s not catching and shooting, he’s a pretty good ball handler who uses dribble moves effectively (no extra nonsense) to get to the basket. He can also dish the rock, as he always looked for the open man and was able to deliver some sweet passes. He averaged almost five assists a game last season, including seven in the National Championship. Overall, Butler is an extremely smart offensive player. On defense, Butler is a rock solid on-ball defender who consistently stayed in front of his man and never really got beat. His hands are always active, and his anticipation is crazy high: he averaged two steals a game, and he had more games with 3+ steals (11) than none (6).
Butler’s weaknesses are a lot more nitpicky than Cam Thomas’, but they’re still things to keep in mind. For one, Butler isn’t very explosive, and his dribble toolbag isn’t deep enough to where he can offset his lack of explosion with sauce like Cade Cunningham can. Butler also struggled shooting when contested; when there was a hand in his face, Butler’s shot seemed to become a little rushed than if he was open.
While he has stellar defensive fundamentals, he doesn’t have great size. At 6’3”, 195, Butler will be able to guard 1’s and 2’s but may initially struggle against threes, especially stronger ones like LeBron.
Once again, the Knicks need scoring. Butler is a sniper who can also provide off the dribble and can play defense. He’s probably not going to be picked within the first 18 picks unless someone in the 20’s loves him enough to trade up, so he should be available at 19. Count me in on Jared Butler.
Miles McBride, G, West Virginia
As I watched McBride’s tape from last season, I thought to myself, “There is no way Tom Thibodeau wasn’t drooling watching McBride.” Allow me to explain why I thought that, starting with a bold take.
Miles McBride is as good, if not better of a defender then Davion Mitchell.
The first thing I wrote in my notes was, “Holy crap this guy is amazing at defense.” He sticks to his man like glue, moves his feet extremely well and constantly hounds ball handlers. If he got beat, he would sprint back in front of his man and cut off the drive. His hands are always active, and he was phenomenal at creating turnovers; even really good ball handlers like Oklahoma’s Austin Reaves had to basically post up McBride at half court one time in order to simply avoid dribbling into a turnover. He averaged two steals a game last season and had nearly as many games with 3+ steals as he had games with one or zero (12 to 13). McBride contests shots really well, he doesn’t bite on pump fakes, and he’s oddly skilled at averting screens. Essentially, he’s an extremely disciplined defender who looks really annoying to be guarded by.
Oh, and by the way, he’s a pretty skilled scorer, too.
While he doesn’t have a Mariana Trench-deep dribble toolbag, he has a decent amount of moves to where he can effectively create his own shot, whether it’s a snatch back, crossover or pull up mid range jumper going to the left. He’s also a solid three point shooter (41.4% on four attempts/game) who can shoot off the dribble, on the move or off the catch. His mechanics are solid, and while he was a bit streaky sometimes, he’s a reliable option from downtown. To finish the positives, McBride’s eyes are always up, and he’s shown the ability to find the open man (nearly five assists/game and six games with 6+ assists) with a wide variety of passes.
McBride doesn’t really have any glaring weaknesses, but definitely some that will need to be fixed. While his aggressiveness on defense is a positive, he can sometimes get a bit overzealous. This pertained to overhelping, getting beat backdoor and occasionally not being able to recover when beat on the ball. He certainly has the defensive ability to fix these issues, it’s just a matter of getting the right coach to refine these skills. And TGFTT (Thank God for Tom Thibodeau).
I can assure you that, should the Knicks draft him, McBride will get playing time. I’m not sure if he’ll be used as the offensive initiator or a secondary scoring guard alongside Derrick Rose/Immanuel Quickley/Luca Vildoza? (I have no idea how the Knicks are going to use him). I think the latter option would suit McBride best, as that’s what he (mostly) was at West Virginia. McBride’s scoring and defensive intensity would be greatly appreciated by Knicks fans, and I would be very happy if the Knicks selected him later this month.
Isaiah Jackson, C, Kentucky
Taking a break from scoring guards, let’s shift to the frontcourt, where the Knicks were seriously lacking depth after Mitchell Robinson went down with a broken foot last season. The only formidable options left were Nerlens Noel and Taj Gibson. Noel did a phenomenal job anchoring the paint and blocking shots, but he was playing 40 minutes a night after Robinson’s injury. And when Noel got hurt during the Hawks series, Gibson became the 40 minute a night center. While he held his own, he played way too many minutes.
Enter (potentially) Isaiah Jackson. Kentucky had their worst season in three decades, but Jackson was a bright spot, albeit a representation of the very young but potential filled 2020-21 Wildcats. He showed flashes of prime DeAndre Jordan, but he also had freshmen moments. Let’s start with the good.
Jackson is an absolutely ferocious shot blocker, averaging almost three a game last season. He times his jumps really well and makes drivers think twice about rising up at the rim. He’s a tremendous athlete who runs hard in transition (something I liked about James Wiseman last year). Related to that, Jackson hustles, something Knicks fans will certainly appreciate. Jackson is also a lob threat, as his leaping ability helps him to both block shots and throw down alley oops. Finally, he can conceivably guard 1–5 on defense. He’s not afraid to play defense on the perimeter, and he has the athleticism to move with quicker and smaller players. Jackson had a knack for swatting jumpers.
However, like I said before, Jackson is still raw and there are plenty of skills that need refining.
For as good of a shot blocker Jackson is, Jackson always seemed to go for the highlight block instead of contesting with his feet still on the ground. This led to him frequently biting on pump fakes or allowing an open layup because of a dump off pass. Speaking of biting on pump fakes, that would also get Jackson into foul trouble; he averaged three a game, a product of relatively undisciplined defense.
He hasn’t yet mastered a few offensive fundamentals, such as posting up and screen setting. He didn’t look all that comfortable when he caught the ball in the post, and he often got called for illegal screens because he was either moving or his hip/butt was sticking out.
Jackson is also not a very good jump shooter. Yes, he shot 54% from the field last season, but most of his offensive production came within five feet of the basket. Mechanically, there’s nothing alarming about Jackson’s shot, he just missed a lot. He’ll have to develop some kind of jumper in order to heighten his ceiling.
Jackson reminds me a lot of Mitchell Robinson: both are great shot blockers, lob threats, and run the floor really well in transition. However, Jackson still has a lot of loose screws in his game that need tightening. But considering Mitchell Robinson’s inability to stay on the floor, the Knicks could use another rim protector other than Noel, and Jackson certainly fits the description.
Sharife Cooper
Originally, this was supposed to be a top five list; Cooper was not included. But lately, the more I watch Sharife Cooper, the more I think he’d be a great fit for the Knicks.
I originally didn’t have him on here because he a) shot 23% from three on five attempts a game last season and b) is definitely not 6’4”; he’s closer to 6’. He’s also 165 pounds. Sharife Cooper is a small dude. He’s a solid on-ball defender, and he often used his size and defensive smarts to draw charges, but he’s going to be on barbecue chicken alert against pretty much everyone he guards in the NBA.
The 23% from three is obviously not encouraging, but it’s not like he was afraid to shoot or anything; if he got an open look, he was firing. However, his mechanics are really funky, as he basically shoots falling backwards and with his feet almost nailed to the ground. Hopefully, Drew Hanlen can fix Cooper’s shot like he did with RJ Barrett. And his size is also understandably concerning. Guys his size rarely see success in the NBA with the exception of guys like Chris Paul, Isaiah Thomas, Allen Iverson, and role players such as Nate Robinson and Earl Boykin.
Cooper, however, is a true point guard. His game reminds me a lot of Chris Paul. Cooper averaged a ridiculous eight assists a game at Auburn (second in D1) and was one of the best passers in college basketball last season. No looks, alley oops, outlet dimes, you name the pass, Cooper’s got it. His feel for the game is very advanced; Cooper always seems in control with the ball in his hands. Even in high school, where the action tends to go haywire more often than not, Cooper was able to slow the game down and make good decisions with the ball. He combines his way above average quickness and shiftiness with a compact and refined handle to creatively get to the basket, which he did quite frequently last season (8.58 FTA/G, most in D1. Shot 83% from the line too). He’s a creative finisher as well and has a sublime touch around the basket. The game looks very easy for Cooper.
The Knicks have been without a franchise point guard since, uh, a long time. Although Cooper is undersized and hasn’t yet established a consistent three point shot, he has the traits of a potential franchise point guard. And if Derrick Rose and/or Elfrid Payton and/or Frank Ntilikina leaves in free agency, the Knicks will be thinner at point guard. Sign me up for some Sharife Cooper.
The Knicks have two opportunities to select guys that can immediately contribute. They also have the first pick of the second round from the Marcus Morris trade as well plus another second round pick from the Austin Rivers trade. Should the Knicks want to package those picks to move up in the draft to select higher impact guys such as Davion Mitchell or Moses Moody OR package those picks plus players to trade for a disgruntled superstar psst psst Damian Lillard, I’d be totally OK with that.
The Knicks are out of the NBA cellar, a laughingstock they are no more. The Garden saw its first Knicks playoff game in almost eight years. NYC was bleeding orange and blue despite the nearby Nets having three of the fifteen best players in the NBA. The Knicks, ladies and gentleman, are back. Despite their history of subpar drafting, the Knicks’ last two drafts have been a success with the selections of RJ, Mitchell Robinson, Obi and IQ. This draft presents another opportunity for the Knicks to continue last season’s success, and I couldn’t be more excited.
