A Way-Too-Early Knicks 2017 Draft Guide
The Knicks have their own first and second round picks in the NBA Draft for the first time since 2005
The NBA season is in full swing and the Knicks, at one point, were seemingly in position to make the playoffs for the first time since 2013. Reaching the playoffs is currently the primary focus for the Knicks, but let’s take a chance to plan in advance to the offseason, specifically the NBA Draft. While it’s still only January, it’s never too early to start salivating over a chance to infuse some youth(!) in the Knicks roster.
Knicks fans are all too familiar with the recent drought of draft choices and draft failures in years past. Other than 2015 where the Knicks struck gold selecting Kristaps Porzingis with the 4th pick and acquiring Willy Hernangómez in the second round, their draft history hasn’t been anything to boast about. 2013 first round pick Tim Hardaway Jr. is no longer with the team, 2014 second round “steal” Cleanthony Early has struggled to find consistent minutes and is now stuck in the D-League, 2014 second round pick Thanasis Antetokounmpo simply wasn’t an NBA level player and 2015 first round selection Jerian Grant was shipped off to Chicago as a piece in the Derrick Rose trade. The 2016 NBA Draft was a no-show for the Knicks, they didn’t their first round pick due to the Carmelo Anthony trade with Denver. Here’s to hoping Phil Jackson and Steve Mills can build on their recent drafting success in 2015. Good news; the Knicks (currently) own a first and second round pick in 2017!
Current NBA draft order:
As of right now, the Knicks are teetering between three scenarios, sneaking into the playoffs as a 7–8 seed, playing just well enough to miss out on the lottery, and playing bad enough to secure a lottery pick…sensational.
In typical Knicks fashion, I think the Knicks will likely play just bad enough to miss the playoffs, but just well enough to miss out on the lottery. With that said, I wouldn’t say the lottery is completely out of the realm of possibilities, so I’m going to be targeting prospects anywhere in the 12–18ish range. High-graded prospects like Lonzo Ball, Josh Jackson, and De’Aaron Fox will most likely be long gone by then, so the Knicks will have to chose from the remaining crop of players later in the draft. While I’d love to see Markelle Fultz or Malik Monk in orange and blue, the 2017 draft class will be absolutely stacked with solid players slipping to the back end of the first round, depending on early entries.
Here are a few players the Knicks should target in the first round:
OG Anunoby, SG/SF, Indiana
Best player available should be the Knicks’ draft strategy, this team needs an infusion of youthful talent in the worst way. The Knicks already have Courtney Lee slotted as their starting SG, but Justin Holiday is a UFA next season. OG Anunoby, who can play both SG and SF, might be one of the best defenders I’ve ever seen play college basketball.
At 6'8", 23o lbs with a 7'6" (!!!) wingspan, he’s got an ideal build to be an elite defender in the NBA. He’s super quick laterally and has the build and ability to matchup against four positions. Anunoby is everywhere on the defensive end; he averages 2.3 steals and 2.2 blocks per 40 minutes, via DraftExpress. In the GIF below, you’ll see his quick instincts and reaction time to step in the passing lanes.
On the offensive end, Anunoby uses his immense leaping ability to get above the rim and finish. He’s physical enough to withstand contact on the way to the rim and he’s durable enough to move defenders out of his way while in flight. With his 6'8" stature, Anunoby can play SG, SF, and even PF in limited spots. He’s got decent moves and footwork to be an effective scorer on the low post, and can elevate high enough to get a good look.
Shooting may be Anunoby’s biggest woe, although in limited minutes as a freshman he knocked down 13-of-29 (45 percent) three-pointers while shooting 57 percent overall. This is an extremely small sample size, so it’ll be interesting to see if his shooting improves now that he’s in the starting lineup as a sophomore. Anunoby will almost definitely be a hot commodity in this year’s draft, should the Knicks miss out on the playoffs and play poor enough to get into the lottery, they might have a shot at him. I really like Anunoby’s potential as a pro.
Jawun Evans, PG, Oklahoma State
At just 6'0", Jawun Evans isn’t necessarily the physical specimen that teams look for, but his ball handling and quick feet more than makes up for his short stature. Last year, as a freshman, Evan’s Oklahoma State team finished a disappointing season with a record of 12–20. Evans averaged just under 13 points, 5.0 assists and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 48 percent from three.
In one of his most notable performances of his freshman campaign, Evans tallied 42 points, six assists and seven rebounds in OSU’s 74–72 loss to #2 Oklahoma.
Through 13 games this season, as a sophomore, Evans is averaging just under 20 points and over 5.0 assists with some massive stat lines, including 35 points, six assists, four rebounds, and four steals against UConn. Evans may never be an elite three point shooter, but he’s shown potential and improvement in this area, knocking down 14-of-27 three pointers in the early season.
Evans thrives in transition and in the pick-and-roll offense, both areas which the Knicks have made an effort to focus on this season. He’s got exceptional ball control, shiftiness, and seems comfortable venturing deep into the paint amongst bigger defenders. At 6'0", Evans doesn’t have the luxury of looking over shorter defenders, but his timing and touch on his passes reciprocates for his height. It’s become very apparent this season that one of the Knick’s biggest missions is to find a point guard who can stay in front of opposing guards, Derrick Rose cannot do this and Brandon Jennings absolutely cannot do this. Evans has a bit of “dog” in him, he’s competitive and pesky and his short stature often goes unnoticed during his defensive efforts.
Evans isn’t necessarily making headlines as a top draft prospect, so he may be available in the second round if the Knicks are lucky.
Edmond Sumner, PG, Xavier
Another PG…sensing a trend here?
Derrick Rose has been somewhat capable on offense, but remains a liability on defense. It would be silly for the Knicks to dish out an extension for him in the offseason and Brandon Jennings is at best a decent backup. Edmond Sumner, who’s shown some incredible resilience in his basketball career, might be one of my favorite players in all of college basketball. Not only does Sumner have an incredibly cool Edgar Allen Poe-esque name, but with a lanky 6'6"-ish frame and 6'8" wingspan, he’s got the length to be an elite perimeter defender while also having the ability to peer over shorter defenders.
His length allows him to poke balls away (1.9 steals per 40 minutes via DraftExpress), but he can also twist and contort his body to get around screens and hedges.
Sumner is ultra aggressive getting into the paint and has a nifty little crossover move that he relies on to freeze defenders. Once he’s beaten his defenders with his speed, Sumner has terrific vision for kick-outs to open teammates. He’s got room to improve as a finisher, connecting on 40 percent of his field-goals last year. Xavier has taken advantage of his huge frame by drawing up a few designed alley-oop inbounds plays, this can definitely translate to the next level.
Of the few redeeming qualities of Derrick Rose, pushing the pace in transition and finishing in traffic at the basket are the top two.
There’s potential for Sumner in both of these areas.
Sumner excels in the open court, as well as the pick-and-roll, with his extremely long strides. He’s got an ultra-fast first step to beat his defender off the dribble in the half-court offense in addition to open court elusiveness. Sumner seems comfortable with both left- and right-handed layups, as seen in the GIFs above and below. He managed to get to the free-throw line 154 times, connecting on 112, so he’s got the ability to initiate contact and draw fouls.
Sumner’s jump shot is one of his most glaring weaknesses, but it isn’t completely broken, he still managed to make 1.2 three-pointers per 40 minutes (via DraftExpress). He’ll have to change his release once he enters the NBA, it’s currently very low and has the likelihood of being frequently blocked.
This last GIF illustrates one of my favorite qualities of Sumner, he’s a relentless competitor. In this play alone he snags two offensive rebounds in the midst of three defenders. Sumner is another PG projected to go in the late first (CBS ranks him as the 21st prospect), but he could easily move up draft boards along the course of the college basketball season. Defense and uptempo offense are two areas the Knicks are desperate for improvement in, Sumner can help them in both.
Tyler Lydon, SF/PF, Syracuse
Can you imagine plugging a 6'10" stretch forward with a 6'11" wingspan next to Kristaps Porzingis? Madness.
Eventually, the Knicks are going to have to start thinking about life post-Melo, Tyler Lydon would provide the Knicks with the luxury of having a legit deep threat frontcourt. Lydon had a terrific freshman campaign where his Syracuse Orange reached the Final Four. He’s got really smooth shooting mechanics for guy his size and it showed last season; he connected on 49-of-121 (41 percent) three-point attempts and shot 48 percent from the field. He could be dangerous in the pick-and-roll as he has the ability leak out to the perimeter and also cut to the basket where he’s making an efficient 61 percent of his shots.
Lydon runs well in transition for being 6'10" and has impressive hops to catch lobs and tip home dunks, à la Kristaps Porzingis. He’s got decent vision for a guy his size and is willing to make the extra pass. Most stretch forward-types tend to be a liability on the defense end, not Lydon. He uses his 6'11" wingspan not only to block shots, but to get into the passing lanes.
Really active defender, solid basketball player.
Pairing him with Kristaps Porzingis would be heavenly. I need to settle down.
Bam Adebayo, PF/C, Kentucky
Joakim Noah is bad at basketball and Knicks fans have to suffer through three more years of him, not ideal. Does Phil Jackson actually acknowledge how bad Noah is? No-ah idea (too much peyote). Like the whole ‘Melo situation, if the Knicks were smart they’d think about drafting a developmental player to either take over for Noah or to platoon with Hernangómez. Adebayo is far from being a polished NBA player, but he’s got some nice traits that could eventually translate to the pro level. To start, the guy is absolutely massive at 6'10", 240 pounds, far and away the most NBA-ready body in college basketball at only 19 years old (he turns 20 in July).
Most, if not all, of Adebayo’s potential is on the defensive side. He’s got great length and great elevation to get up and reject shots (averages 1.4 blocks per 40 minutes, via DraftExpress).
Adebayo has the tools and ability to be a 15 rebounds per game kinda player, but effort is inconsistent. He’s got good enough defensive instincts and footwork to guard power forwards and even centers at the NBA level.
Offensively, things get rough. Most of his points come at the college level with the “I’m bigger and more powerful than you” strategy; that won’t fly in the NBA. His jump-shot isn’t consistent enough for NBA defenders to respect him from mid-range (he’s got a SUPER high arch to his shot), but his footwork on the low post isn’t terrible. Still have to remember he’s just a 19-year old freshman, it’ll take him a few years to develop offensively.
If the Knicks keep their current pace, fantasizing about mock drafts may be the only thing Knicks fans have to stay somewhat sane. Of course, it is still only January and who knows, maybe the Knicks turn it around? Maybe the Knicks commence accidental tank? Whatever the result, its’s refreshing to know that the Knicks (currently) have a first and second round draft pick to, perhaps, think about building around in the future. Although, as we’ve seen before with Noah, Phil Jackson is a wild-card and doesn’t seem content with initiating long-term rebuild. Is this the year ‘Melo waives his NTC? Doubtful. Are the Knicks stuck with Noah for four years? Unfortunately so. Will the Knicks re-sign Derrick Rose? I really hope not.
None of these moves are compatible with letting young players take the reigns, but at the very least the Knicks will actually have a plethora of young players on their roster next year granted they hold on to their picks. That’s exciting.
— Brendan Duball, senior writer
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