3 Top Prospects For New York Knicks 2019 Draft
EARLY
DRAFT PROSPECTS FOR NEW YORK KNICKS 2019 DRAFT CLASS
Written
By Kyle Crabbe
Follow on Twitter: @KthetruestKnick
The
2018 New York Knicks will be a team that continues to build for the
future and a huge part of building that future will be through the
NBA Draft. So before we start off the 2018-19 NBA season here's a
list of 3 players through the year Knicks fan can keep a eye on as
possible players the New York Knicks might be drafted in the upcoming
2019 NBA Draft.
We
will start with a quick breakdown of what we can expect the Knicks to
be looking for and why in the upcoming NBA Draft in 2019.
What
Are the Current Knicks Needs
The 2018-19 New York Knicks are
in a rebuilding year as they develop their young talent and the teams
identity under Head Coach David Fizdale. Fizdale has outlined he
prefers to develop a team that will be a Top-Tier Defense that brings
a toughness to every game and is a team that can be tough to guard offensively.
General Manager Scott Perry made his bones with the Detriot Pistons
Championship teams in the early 2000's that was one of the best
defensive teams the NBA has ever seen. When we look at what the Head
Coach and General Manager preferences are in addition to what we can
see the current Knicks are struggling with this season we can begin to point
to what the Knicks can be looking for in the upcoming draft.
Knicks
will be looking for A Player that brings:
A) Great Two-Way Potential, as a
play-making defensive and offensive prospect.
B) Supreme Defensive Talent
Prospect
C) Play-making Wing or Backcourt
prospect
Before we get into the list of
potential prospects for the Knicks, there has been rumors and great
publicity and talks of the Knicks wanting to pursue Duke Freshman and
internet star Forward Zion Williamson. My opinion is Zion would be a
poor selection for the Knicks and a horrible fit alongside the Knicks
current young core. Zion is a phenomenal young basketball talent,
however his skills don't fit or enhance what the Knicks current young
core. Zion talents are he brings a supreme physical profile to the
game and is able to showcase his rare athleticism is a multitude of
ways for Duke this year. Zion in my opinion projects as a smaller
version of Detroit Pistons Forward Blake Griffin in the NBA( Zion is
6'6” tall and Blake was 6'9”). If we were to put Zion on the
Knicks he would either take away minutes from Kevin Knox at small
forward or he would force Porzingis to play Center which Porzingis
has already indicated he is strongly opposed to doing. Also with Zion
not being a great back to the basketball player or even a great
outside shooter, he would make it more difficult to spread the court
for Kristaps Porzings offensive prowess. Zion might still be a number
One Overall Pick but the Knicks should not be tanking for Zion at
all, because Zion doesn't fit with Knox-Porzingis. Now with that being said, here are the 3 prospects that Knicks fans can begin to dream about helping the Knicks compete in the near future.
A)
R.J Barrett
POS:
SF
AGE/STATUS:
18/FRESH
COLLEGE:
DUKE
SIZE:
6'7”/ 6'10” WINGSPAN
WEIGHT:
210LBS
STRENGTHS:
-GREAT
ATHLETE WITH TREMENDOUS PHYSICAL PROFILE FOR POSITION
-SUPREME
OPEN COURT PLAYER WITH OR WITHOUT BASKETBALL IN HANDS. CAN LEAD THE
FASTBREAK AS POINT OR CAN RUN LANES WELL FOR OUTLETS AND LOPS
-DOESN'T
SHY AWAY FROM BIG MOMENTS, VERY CONFIDENT PLAYER.
-GREAT
SLASHER THAT CONSTANTLY PUTS PRESSURE ON THE BASKET
-EXCELLENT
PASSING ABILITY AND COURT VISION
-POTENTIAL
NUMBER 1 OVERALL PICK
PRO
COMPARSION:
GRANT
HILL, JUSTICE WINSLOW, ANDRE IGUODALA
Player
Knick's Prospects:
If
the Knicks are to get a top 3 pick, there's a good chance the Knicks
could be looking at picking Duke's Canadian-born Star Foward RJ
Barrett. Barrett could be the last piece for the Knicks young core.
Barrett has the potential to be a point-forward as he has great
passing ability and extreme penetration skills. Pairing Barrett with
Frank Nitlikina, Kevin Knox and Kristaps Porzingis would make a
excellent mix of great defensive and offensively matching skills
sets.
B)
Bol Bol
POS:
C
AGE/STATUS:
19/ FRESH
COLLEGE:
OREGON
SIZE:
7'3” / 7'8” WINGSPAN
WEIGHT:
225LBS
STRENGHTS:
-VERY
GOOD ATHLETE W/ EXTREME SIZE AND LENGTH
-HIGH
BASKETBALL IQ
-HIGHLY
SKILLED BASKETBALL PLAYER
-GOOD
SHOOTER W/ CONSISTENT SHOOTING MECHANICS
-UNIQUE
PAINT PROTECTOR; HIS STANDING REACH ALLOWS HIM TO POTENTIALLY BLOCKS
AND ALTER ALL INCOMING SHOTS IN THE PAINT
-SUPREME
SHOT BLOCKER
PRO
COMPARSION:
KRISTAPS
PORZINGIS, MO BAMBA, JOEL EMBIID
Player
Knick's Prospects:
Bol
Bol has impressive potential and can well be the best long-term NBA
prospect in the entire 2019 NBA Draft Class. Bol is the son of late
former 12-Year NBA Veteran and 2X League Leader in Blocks(1986, 1989
) Maunte Bol. Bol is almost a carbon copy of Kristaps Porzingis is
terms of game playing style and overall Star Potential. If the Knicks
were to even get the number 1 pick in the 2019 NBA draft I believe
they should be looking to pick Bol over any other prospect in this
year's draft. Pairing Porzingis with Bol would create a Twin Towers
the league hasn't witnessed in years to go alongside with Kevin Knox
as the best young frontline in all of the NBA for years to come. A lineup featuring Bol on the Knicks could result in a terrifying lineup of extreme size and length of Kevin Knox( 7" Wingspan), Kristaps Prozingis( 7'6" Wingspan), Frank Ntilikina( 7'1" Wingspan) and Emmanuel Mudiay ( 6'10" Wingspan) all would feature close to 7" Wingspans. Bol
is definitely a player for many Knicks fans to be looking at for New
York in the upcoming NBA draft.
C)
Sekou Doumbouya
POS:
SF/ PF
AGE/STATUS:
19/ FRESHMAN
INTERNATIONAL:
FRANCE
SIZE:
6'9”/ 6'11” WINGSPAN
WEIGHT:
215LBS
STRENGHTS:
-SPECIAL
ATHLETICISM AND PHYSICAL PROFILE
-IS
A TERROR WITH THE BASKETBALL ON THE MOVE; WHETHER IN TRANSITION OR
STRAIGHT DRIVES TO THE BASKET
-EXCELLENT
OPEN COURT/ IN TRANSITION PLAYER
-VERSATILE
DEFENSIVELY, CAN GUARD POSITIONS 1-5.
-DEFENDS
WELL, KNACK FOR BLOCKING SHOTS AND GETTING STEALS
-REBOUNDS
WELL AND COMPETES ON THE GLASS
-IMMENSE
POTENTIAL
PRO
COMPARSION:
SHAWN
MARION, OG ANUNOBY, CLIFFORD ROBINSON
Player
Knick's Prospects:
Sekou
Doumbouya is the next great international prospect coming into the
NBA . Doumboya has been rumored as one of the best young players in
his draft class for the last 3 years now. Doumbouya has been playing
professional basketball since age 15 and is the best young basketball
prospect out of France's professional league since Knicks Young Guard
and 2017 Lottery pick Frank Ntilikina. Ntilikina has been a mentor to
Doumbouya and like Ntilikina did in his French League Career
Doumbouya won the France's League Best Young Pro Player in 2018. Many
Knicks fans and basketball fans have seen Ntilikina as a rare young
player that is talented and advanced on defense so young in his
basketball career, whereas like Ntilikina Doumbouya also is advanced
and extremely skillful on the defensive end. Doumbouya however is an
elite prospect because of his athleticism and size. At 6'9 with close
to a 7” wingspan and 220 Pounds, Doumbouya is a powerful and rare
athlete whose game is very comparable to that of former Phoenix Suns
Stat Stuffer Star Forward Shawn Marion. Doumbouya's game, age, and
playing style could potentially fit very well in New York alongside
Porzingis, Ntilikina, Mudiay, Trier, Robinsion, Knox and the rest of
the Knicks young core.
TrueFan
Overall Draft Verdict
This year's New York Knicks will
be about building toward the near future. General manager Scott Perry
will look to add pieces that will further his' and President Steve
Mills agenda of a athletic, team-first, defensively strong team. I
feel the Knicks so far this year have worked very dilgently to see
which players can be part of the future and which players might not.
I feel the Knicks have about 7 or 8 players that have strongly played
into the future. I definitely see Emmanuel Mudiay as the answer at
Point Guard, but I believe that when the Knicks will develop further
to be perennial playoff contenders again Tim Hardaway Jr will be in a
6th Man role with Frank Ntilikina starting alongside
Mudiay in the backcourt. With Frank further developing as a elite two-way Guard but holding his own as a defensive weapon, Mudiay could focus on being an excellent open court playmaker. I also see the Knicks being very well suited
at the forwards with future star Kevin Knox alongside current
Superstar and Franchise Cornerstone Kristaps Porzingis. At Center I
believe the Knicks could do some tinkering and adjusting. Whether in
the draft or possibly attracting a player like Anthony Davis to come
to New York the Knicks could be in line to add another big man to the
puzzle for the long-term. I believe the Knicks have good pieces at
center currently in Enes Kanter, Mitchell Robinson, and Luke Kornet.
My opinion is however that Enes Kanter might not be the best solution
alongside Porzingis for the long-term but Kanter like Andrew Bogut to
the young Warriors might have helped established the Knicks identity
as a tougher team before Kanter departs. I believe a strong move for
the Knicks would be to keep Kornet and Robinson as excellent depth
options at center but then look to draft Bol Bol or sign/ trade for a
Anthony Davis or trade for disgruntled Hassan Whiteside. That would
secure the Knicks long-term prospects as a completed rebuilt team to
compete in the Eastern Conference. To round out the 8 or so absolute
keepers I believe the Knicks currently have on the roster would be
young star scoring Guard Allonzo “ Iso Zo” Trier, Shooting Guard
Damyean Dotson, and Noah Vonleh.
The
TrueFan 2019-20 Projected Team
Starting Lineup
PG Emmanuel Mudiay ( Age 23 )
PG Frank Ntilikina ( Age 21 )
SF Kevin Knox ( Age 20 )
PF Kristaps Porzingis ( Age 24 )
C 2019 1st Draft Pick
Bol Bol ( Age 19 )
or
C 2019 Free Agent Signee Anthony
Davis ( Age 26 )
Bench
SG Tim Hardaway Jr
PF Noah Vonleh
G Allonzo Trier
SG Damyean Dotson
C Mitchell Robinson
PF/C Luke Kornet
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