New York Knicks: 2020 NBA Draft Preview

We are one week away from the 2020 NBA Draft! Let's focus on a team in a very interesting spot, the New York Knicks. The Knicks have constantly underwhelmed their fans with a series of mediocre draft selections and the inability to sign any big name free agents. The first step to making the Knicks competitive again is the 2020 NBA Draft, and the Knicks CANNOT miss on this one.

The Knicks currently have three picks in the draft. They have two 1st rounders (8 and 27) and a 2nd round pick (38). I'll walk you through the options for each pick.

The 8th Pick:

Option 1: Pick at 8

The most obvious and most likely route for the Knicks would be staying put at 8 and taking the highest player on their board. If this is the case then I believe the top guys like Ball, Edwards, Wiseman, and Avdija are all off the board. Let's break down the 3 guys that the Knicks should be eyeing.

1. Obi Toppin, PF (Dayton)

I'm not sure if Toppin makes it to 8, but if he does it's a homerun for the Knicks. Toppin brings some certainty that may assure Knicks fans, as the team's track record on picking projects is not great as of late. Toppin is a proven impact player and winner. He's the reigning Naismith Player of the Year, coming off a season where he averaged 20 PTS/7.5 REB/2.2 AST/1.2 BLK/1 STL, and lead the Dayton Flyers to a 29-2 record. He's very athletic and would be fun in transition and in the pick and roll game with last year's 3rd overall pick RJ Barrett. He would also be a very nice fit next to center Mitchell Robinson. Toppin can do what Robinson does in terms of rim running and catching lobs, but what separates Toppin from the rest of the bigs in this class is his ability to shoot the 3. He shot 39% from 3 this past season, a great percentage given his size and athletic ability. The knock on Toppin is that he doesn't move very well laterally. He's not quick, but he is a very explosive leaper and that could save him defensively. It's also unclear how much offense he'd really be able to create for himself at the next level. He showed a good post game in college, but I'm not fully sold that he'd be able to score 1 on 1 against bigger NBA 4s or 5s. Perhaps the biggest issue I have with Toppin is his age. He's already 22 and his upside may be limited.

2. Killian Hayes, PG (France/Ratiopharm Ulm)

Hayes is the player I hear associated with the Knicks most often. Marc Berman of the NY Post reported that Hayes is the second PG (behind LaMelo Ball) on the team's big board. It makes sense that they like Hayes. He's only 19 and has played 72 career pro games in some fairly good international leagues. His per 36 numbers this year in Germany were good, as he averaged over 16 PPG and nearly 8 APG on 48% shooting. Hayes has a lot of potential as a scorer at the next level. His crafty left handed stepbacks and sidestep jumpers are very reminiscent of James Harden or Manu Ginobili. He can get a shot up virtually whenever he wants. He's also very crafty in the mid range area, where he shows a really nice package of moves including pull up jumpers and floaters. He's definitely got playmaking ability and solid overall IQ, but it's not perfect yet, as he turned the ball over at a high rate this past season. My biggest concern with Hayes is that he's not an elite athlete. He's not very quick and has very little bounce. Another thing to be concerned about is his low 3 point shooting percentage. He only shot 29% from 3 in 2019-2020, but you could credit that to shot selection more than actual shooting ability. At 19 years old, shot selection and turnover issues are things that can easily be coached out of a player, especially a player as smart as Killian Hayes.

3. Devin Vassell, SG/SF (Florida State)

The Knicks picking Vassell would mean that the draft happened in a worst case scenario fashion for them. If Ball, Edwards, Wiseman, Avdija, Toppin, Okoro, and Hayes are the first seven picks, I think the Knicks may trade back. But let's say they keep that pick, I think drafting Devin Vassell is an easy decision. Vassell would fit a few of the Knicks biggest needs- shooting and perimeter defense. He's got a really fluid shooting motion, especially in catch and shoot situations. He shot 42% from 3 in both his freshmen and sophomore seasons. He's got a really nice frame and NBA length to go with it. Vassell is 6'6" with a 6'11" wingspan and eye popping vertical athleticism. It's easy top see why NBA scouts have him pegged as a top flight NBA wing defender out the gate. I compared him to Kelly Oubre and I think it's pretty spot on for the type of player Vassell will be. There's questions regarding his offense in terms of ball handling and shot creation. I'm not sure he'll ever be a 20 PPG scorer in the NBA because he does lack in those areas. I am sure he'll be impactful defensively, he's got really solid defensive fundamentals and a constant motor on that side of the ball. Vassell is what I would label as a safe pick. At the very worst he's a good glue guy for years to come.

OPTION 2: TRADE UP

In this scenario the Knicks would really have to love someone in the 2-6 range. The best bet on who that player is, is PG LaMelo Ball. The team reportedly is very high on him and he makes a lot of sense for their roster. He's a 6'8" PG with elite passing vision and instincts and would come in and take lead control of the offense from day one.

Now for this scenario to become a reality, a few things would likely have to happen. The first thing being Ball sliding in the draft. I don't think the Knicks have the pieces Golden State wants in order to jump up to 2, and I also don't think Charlotte trades their pick. So if we see Ball there at 4, that's where the Knicks can start to get aggressive. Every team 4-6 (Chicago, Cleveland, Atlanta) is eagerly waiting for that phone to ring on draft night. The Knicks have the capitol to make this move. They have another 1st round pick this year, and have Dallas's 1st round pick next year. They also have some lottery ticket young players like Kevin Knox and Frank Ntilikina that some teams may find intriguing. Julius Randle is also an option, but it's unclear whether those specific teams would view him and his large salary cap as an asset. Either way, if Ball starts sliding, the Knicks are armed to make a move should they choose to.

OPTION 3: TRADE DOWN

I think this is the least likely of the three options. It just doesn't make much sense given their draft spot and current state of their team. I guess a possible scenario would be unloading Julius Randle and the 8th pick to move down a couple spots and take on a guy on a big 1 year deal. That way the Knicks can move back if they don't really like a guy at 8 and also free up even more space for the stacked 2021 free agent class. I'm not seeing any scenarios in specific for that, just speculating on the possibility.

If they do trade down, some guys in the late lottery that could be on the Knicks' radar include Patrick Williams, Kira Lewis, and RJ Hampton.

The Knicks don't need another late 1st round pick this year or next, and they're certainly not in the position to be wanting bad contract players either. I don't think they'll move down, but never say never right?

The 27th Pick:

Option 1: Pick at 27

The Knicks are desperate for both young assets and valuable contributors, so what makes the most sense is to use their second 1st round pick of the night to draft a player and give him minutes quickly. There are so many options for this pick in terms of who it actually could be, but what the Knicks ultimately need is talent. They shouldn't be worried about position or fit, just taking the best player available on their board. Here's 10 guys that would makes sense at 27:

• Tre Jones, PG (Duke)

• Vernon Carey, C (Duke)

• Leandro Bolmaro, SG/SF (Argentina)

• Elijah Hughes, SG/SF (Syracuse)

• Tyler Bey, PF (Colorado)

• Robert Woodard II, SF (Mississippi St)

• Jahmi'us Ramsey, PG (Texas Tech)

• Malachi Flynn, PG (San Diego State)

• Cassius Winston, PG (Michigan State)

• Grant Riller, PG (Charleston)

The common theme here, for the most part, is scoring or defense. The Knicks have to take a player that can provide offense in terms of shot creation or facilitation off the bench (Carey, Bolmaro, Hughes, Ramsey, Flynn, Winston, Riller) or is elite as a defender (Jones, Bey, Woodard). My favorite selection here is Tre Jones, as I think he gives the Knicks a very good backup PG with elite defensive IQ, some much needed grit, and an overall good feel for the game. I also like Tyler Bey a lot here. Bey was the PAC-12 defensive player of the year and at 6'7" with a 7 foot wingspan and incredible athleticism, he's got loads of potential as a versatile wing defender. Also should note that he shot 42% from behind the arc.

Option 2: Use the pick to trade up FROM 8

As we said earlier, if LaMelo Ball starts falling past 3, the Knicks should jump on the opportunity to move up a few spots and snag their PG of the future. Doing so almost ensures that this pick will be moved. This pick of course came from the Clippers as a part of the Marcus Morris trade at the 2019 trade deadline, so I don't think the Knicks will be too crushed if they have to give it up.

Option 3: Trade down (or Out)

I think this is the option least likely to happen of the 3, but I do see multiple scenarios where it makes sense for General Manager Scott Perry (pictured above). The first scenario being the Knicks just simply don't love any one player on the board, and maybe they wanna move into the 2nd round and acquire some cash considerations or a future 2nd for their troubles.

Another interesting scenario for a trade comes from Boston. If you've read my mock draft, you'd know that the Celtics currently hold 4 picks in this draft, and physically cannot use all of them (as everything stands right now) due to their roster being almost full. I think it's possible that the Celtics call the Knicks and say "Hey, we just picked at 26, and there's another guy we really like. We'll give you 30 and 47 for 27." I think the Knicks would have to take that.

I also think it's possible a team like Memphis would want this pick. Memphis currently does not have a 1st round pick, and a team right on the verge of the playoffs last year may want to move their 2nd round pick (40th overall) and an asset (future 2nd or cash considerations) to move up into the first round and draft an impactful player to help Ja Morant and company.

The 38th Pick:

I'm not going to walk you through all of the options for the 38th pick, because they're about the same as the 27th pick. Keep it and draft and guy you like, use it in a trade up, or just trade it for cash and call it a night. A handful of those guys I liked at 27 may still be there at 38, but just in case they're not, here's 5 more guys that could be steals in the 2nd:

• Payton Prichard, PG (Oregon)

• Kenyon Martin Jr, SF (USA)

• Isaiah Joe, SG (Arkansas)

• Cassius Stanley, SG (Duke)

• Killian Tillie, PF/C (Gonzaga)

I would love for Syracuse's Elijiah Hughes to be here at 38, but I'm not sure it'll happen. If not, I really like Gonzaga's Killian Tillie. Tillie has all the makings of a 1st round pick, but injury concerns have scared teams away from him. In his 4 years at Gonzaga, Tillie missed a total of 38 games and had multiple different injuries including but not limited to torn ligaments in his knee and foot, a stress fracture in his ankle, multiple sprained ankles, a broken finger, and a hip pointer. With the right NBA strength and conditioning, maybe Tillie can stay healthy at the NBA level. There's no doubt in my mind that a healthy Killian Tillie is one of the best 20 or so players in this draft, but it'll be a big commitment to get and keep him healthy over the course of a season. Tillie is a 6'10" big who shot 44% from 3 on 239 career attempts in college. That's not something you see every day. He's overall just a smart player with really good feel for the game and really good playmaking ability for a big. As a 2nd round pick, why wouldn't the Knicks shoot for the stars and take a unique combo of size, shooting, and playmaking ability?