Early 2018 NBA Mock Draft NY Knicks Edition 1st Round Pick

Early 2018 NBA Draft Picks NY Knicks Edition, 1st Round Selection





Written By Kyle Crabbe
Follow on Twitter:@KthetruestKnick





As the NBA 2017-18 Season is well underway and the 2017-2018 NCAA College Basketball Season is on and going, now is a perfect opportunity to speculate at what prospects will be selected where in the upcoming 2018 NBA Draft. Here we look at a few young prospects that will be 2018 Draft possibilities for the NY Knicks.

The 2017-18 New York Knicks are enjoying a good start to their season and expect to battle for a playoff spot throughout the season. Knicks President Steve Mills and General Manager Scott Perry have did a great job at roster building thus far since Perry was named General Manager in July 2017. The Carmelo Anthony Trade has benefited both the Knicks and the OKC Thunder with C Enes Kanter being a top-tier bigman with elite rebounding and SF Doug McDermott being a excellent offensive and defensive contributor off the bench for the Knicks this year. So as I look at the Knicks current roster as constructed, I feel the Knicks have excellent depth at the Center position with Enes Kanter, Kyle O'Quinn, Willy Hernangomez, and Joakim Noah. With PF Kristaps Porzingis also being able to effectively log minutes at the Center position in today's NBA game. The Knicks are also quite settled at the Power Forward Position with Franchise Star PF Kristaps Porzingis, Michael Beasley, Lance Thomas, and young G-League on a two-way contract PF Isaiah Hicks. The Knicks I believe are also very strong in the backcourt with the shooting guards they have: Tim Hardaway Jr, Courtney Lee, Damyean Dotson, and Ron Baker. Also the Knicks boast a decent talented group at point guard with PG Jarret Jack, Rookie Lottery pick PG Frank Ntilikina, and PG Ramon Sessions. Whereas the Knicks only have one Small Forward on the roster in Sharp Shooting SF off the bench Doug McDermott. So as I breakdown the Knicks roster and see what they would pursue in the upcoming draft, I would project the Knicks to look in drafting an athletic 3 and D Small Forward with the potential to be a long-term starter. I could also see the Knicks drafting a point guard in the 2nd round with the eyes on developing that Point Guard to back-up Frank Nitlikina. I feel the Knicks are in a great position to continue building an effectively competitive team. I believe they have their main pieces in place with young Superstar PF Kristaps Porzingis, a starting Shooting Guard with years to growth in Tim Hardaway Jr, and a young Franchise Point Guard to lead the team in PG Frank Nitlikina. The Knicks going into the draft have plenty of options at Center, so I believe they will focus strongly at the Small Forward Position where there is great talent coming in the 2018 NBA Draft. The Knicks I project will have a pick between 14-18 in the first round depending on where they finish the season, so let's look at some of those potential players



1st Round, 16th Pick

Knicks Select:
-Justin Jackson

School: Maryland
Position: SF/PF
Height: 6'7”
Weight: 219 Lbs
Class: Sophomore

Pro Comparison: SF/PF Robert Horry






TrueFan Take:
Justin Jackson is a very talented young prospect hailing from Canada to play his collegiate basketball at Maryland University. The first thing that stands out about Jackson is his unquie size, Jackson measures at 6'7” with a incredible 7'3” wingspan and large hands that rival Spurs superstar SF Kawhi Leonard. Jackson is a ideal forward in the modern NBA game, Jackson can defend very well due to his length and aggression as well as rebound exceptionally by in parts to those same athletic qualitiles. And like the Spurs Leonard coming out of college, Jackson is an excellent rebounder. Jackson can also shoot the ball very well from long range and makes himself a great 3 and D wing player but with a game more similar to Draymond Green with the Golden State Warriors. Unfortunely for Jackson he recently went down this year with a torn labrum in his right shoulder effectively ending his 2017-18 NCAA campaign. Jackson's draft stock might dip due to this injury and might make Jackson available later on in the draft. However I feel Jackson's mentality and skill set make him too ideal to not be pursued by the Knicks in the coming 2018 NBA draft. Justin Jackson's stats for the 2017-18 Year were: 11 Games Played, 29.4 Mins Per Game, 9.8 Points Per Game, 8.1 Rebounds Per Game, 1.9 Assists Per Game, 0.8 Steals Per Game, 0.8 Blocks Per Game.




Choice B

-Mikal Bridges


School: Villanova
Position: SF
Height: 6'7”
Weight: 200 Lbs
Class: Junior

Pro Comparison: SF Otto Porter Jr







TrueFan Take:
Mikal Bridges is one of the more consistent players playing right now in NCAA basketball. Bridges is playing a leading role on one of the two or three best teams right now in college basketball. Bridges is a two-way player that contributes in many different ways. First off Bridges is also quite unique in size, he posses a 7'1” wingspan to go allow with his solid 6'7 size for the small forward position. What makes Bridges attractive for the Knicks is he is the classic 3 and D Small Forward with excellent length, athleticism, and defensive versatility and impact and could therefore fit perfectly along Porzingis and Hardaway for the Knicks. Bridges also brings a winner's mentality.


Choice C

-Isaac Bonga



Team: Frankfurt International (Germany)
Position: SF/PG
Height: 6'9”
Weight: 200 Lbs
Class: 99'


Pro Comparison: SF Lamar Odom








TrueFan Take:
Isaac Bonga is a promising young international player in a class surrounded by elite international talent like PG/SG Luka Doncic and SF Dzanan Musa. Bonga's special talent is he is an exceptional passer. At 6'9 and built more like a Small Forward, Bonga has great abilty to handle the basketball and impressive playmaking ability very similar to former Laker SF Lamar Odom. Bonga is also a fluid athlete that shows guard skills in transition similar to Milwaukee Bucks Star SF Giannis Antetokunmpo. Isaac Bonga's high basketball IQ both on the offensive side and the defensive side makes him a great prospect for the Knicks to look at. Many mock drafts have Bonga going in the late first round or early second round, so at the 16th pick he might be looked at as a reach but at age 19 coming into the 2018-19 season I feel Bonga's potential makes him maybe to good to pass up if the Knicks feel as strongly as I do of his talents.
Leave a Comment
Thanks For Viewing

Also Check out our weekly podcast


Best Urban Sports Conversations
Change Of Pace Sports With Alternative Views

Follow on Twitter:@PaceofSportsTks
Weekly Content Giving A Change to the Common Pace of Sports Talk
On Youtube: Search " Change of Pace Sports"
Listen, Comment, and Subscribe





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

3 Current Free Agents For The 2021 NY Knicks

Image
  3 Current Free Agents For The 2021 NY Knicks Written By Kyle Crabbe Twitter:@KthetruestKnick, @PaceofSportsTks The 2020-21 NBA Season for Knicks fans has been very optimistic as Knicks' basketball under new Head Coach Tom Thibodeau have been played above team expectations. In a year where many didn't know what to expect from the Knicks, New York has played competitive basketball through their first handful of games and look like their might be a possibility of playoffs. The early season has seen great play from Knicks Forward Julius Randle as he is been playing his career best basketball under Coach Thibs. Randle, this season is producing a stat line of 22 Points, 11 Rebounds, and 7 Assists per game. Randle has been playing at a All-Star level under the new leadership and coaching of Tom Thibodeau. The Knicks this year have also saw improvement from their young players such as RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson, and Kevin Knox. As the Knicks still s
Read more

New York Knicks 2019 Point Guards In-Depth Breakdown

Image
Do The New York Knicks Have Their Franchise Point Guard? Written By Kyle Crabbe Follow on Twitter: @KthetruestKnick As the 2017-18 NBA Season winds down to the final team standing, we NBA fans turn our attention to the next major aspects of the Basketball calendar year which will be the NBA Draft followed by NBA's Free Agency period where said teams that fell short in their Championship pursuits try to retool, rebuild and restock for the next season's shot at the title. With the Golden State Warriors winning their 3 NBA Championship out of the last four seasons we can look to their team as the current “Golden” standard for how you construct a Championship level basketball team in today's modern NBA. This current Golden State Warriors team is built around it's Generational Point Guard, Sharp Shooter Steph Curry. Steph Curry, was drafted by the Warriors 7 th Overall in the 1 st Round in the 2009 NBA Draft, and has developed under the Warrio
Read more

New York Knicks 2019 Free Agency Review And Grades

Image
2019 New York Knicks Free Agency Review  Written By Kyle Crabbe Twitter:@KthetruestKnick The 2018-19 NBA Season created a lot of turnover for the New York Knicks Basketball team. With the major trade of Phenom Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks earlier this year in January the Knicks Franchise set themselves to make major moves to the Franchise come the 2019 Off-season. Many in the media and around basketball circles voiced and believed the Knicks would be in on the spree of huge names like Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, or Kawhi Leonard could land in New York during the 2019 NBA Free Agency. The Knicks didn't land the big names or acquire a combination of Star Players that was rumored and populated though the major media outlets, but they did have a productive and successful 2019 Free Agency. The Knicks were able to sign a group of veteran players and couple young players brimming with potential that can contribute to whatever success the Kn
Read more