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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