Who should the New York Knicks draft?

The New York Knicks didnt have the best of seasons last time around

This past season was a complete disaster for the New York Knicks. There were lots of new changes on the roster, players were dealt with and injuries were on-going. What did all this result in? The Knicks finishing with just 17 wins this season. This poor and embarrassing performance however, did bring something to look forward to. A potential no 1 pick.

The ping pong balls had done what they had to. The order was settled and the New York Knicks who had a 19.9 percent chance of getting the 2nd pick landed with the fourth pick. Is this something bad or a blessing in disguise? Let’s take a look at the potential options the Knicks would be targeting come Draft night.

It's almost certain that Karl Anthony-Towns, Jahlil Okafor and D’Angello Russel will all be gone before it’s New York’s turn to pick. What does that leave the them with? Plenty of options.

The class of 2015 is extremely deep with numerous talent. Although having a top 2 pick would be something pleasing to the eye, when taking a closer look the fourth pick isn’t a bad place to be.

Names such as Justise Winslow, Willie Cauley-Stein and Emmanual Mudiay come to mind. It is likely the Knicks would be targeting one of these players. Each individual is a bright prospect, but, who would fit best with the Knicks as of now? Let’s look at Duke’s Small Forward Justice Winslow first.

Winslow is an energetic wing player with lots of upsides. He can shoot the ball extremely well. He was 41% from downtown this past year at Duke. Additionally, standing at 6’6 weighing 225 pounds, Winlsow is a solid lock-down defender night in and night out. He can get to the rack with ease and is extremely agile and doesn’t necessarily have to score 25 points a game every night. Around 15 points alongside solid defense and a high motor is something that would suffice what the Knicks would expect out of him.

However, here’s the thing. Carmelo Anthony. They already have their franchise player in Anthony who plays at the Small Forward position. You could move him to Power Forward and make him guard other Power Forwards but then again, defense is not what Anthony is known for.

Anthony is an elite scorer and has a similar game to Winslow. Drafting Winslow would improve their wing position, but with Anthony already there, a change in that position is not required. If you think New York should draft him solely because of his defense, there is another player I’d like to introduce. Willie Cauley-Stein.

Cauley-Stein is a 7’0 21-year-old coming out of Kentucky. Cauley-Stein is someone the Knicks should target and here’s why. Remember the successful campaign they put up in the 2012-13 season? One of the main reasons they won 54 games was because of one mans presence in the paint. Tyson Chandler.

Tyson Chandler was the key to the Knicks’ roster back then. He was a force to be dealt with down under. Chandler used to block shots, catch lobs and play with lots of energy. Now imagine Cauley-Stein filing in this gap. Except think about him being much more agile.

At 7’0, Cauley-Stein can run like a deer. He can guard multiple positions and is arguably the best defender in this years class. Cauley-Stein would fit perfectly with the New York Knicks and would fill in a gap that needs replacement as soon as possible. You must have heard this quote by the great Bear Bryant: “Offense wins games, defense wins championships”. We all know that the Knicks aren’t looking for a championship anytime soon, but drafting Cauley-Stein would certainly be a start.

However, Cauley-Stein lacks some sort of an offensive game. He is known to catch fancy lobs and finish at the rim with ease, but other than that he isn’t known to do much on the other end of the floor. This is not completely true. His mid-range jumper could be a threat to the opposition. He is in the process of becoming a consistent threat from around 15 feet and will only improve. With someone who can man the paint down under and make the team come together, this is a definite option the Knicks should seriously consider.

Moving onto Chinese Basketball Association’s star Emmanual Mudiay. Mudiay spent the last year playing professionally in China and stands at 6’5 and plays point guard. Drafting a rookie point guard and expecting him to deliver right off the bat isn’t fair for both the player and the organization.

The Knicks do not need to experiment and take risks right now. Although he brings plenty of talent and depth to the roster, there is only so much a rookie point guard could bring. The rookie season is known to have plenty of ups and downs and is a big learning curve for the players. Playing at point guard especially means that, in todays NBA, things will be rough and there will be plenty of thing to pick up along the way considering how guard- dominated this league is today.

Also, Mudiay’s decision making and shooting stoke leave big question marks. No doubt he is an elite scorer and has potential to play good defense, he is not what the Knicks need as of right now.

So what does that leave us with? The best option and perhaps the safest option would be Kentucky’s big man Willie Cauley-Stein. He has plenty of upside and fills the extremely crucial role at the 5. This is a position the Knicks have been lacking since the departure of Tyson Chandler. The sooner they can sort their defense, the sooner they can start playing as a ‘team’ once again.

Also, drafting Cauley-Stein allows the Knicks to try their hand on getting free agents Monte Ellis, Patrick Beverly etc who would fill the point gurad role as well. Taking these steps would mean New York basketball would be heading in the right position.

Edited by Staff Editor