The Knicks will have an interesting offseason as they have free agents to potentially sign and a lot of draft capital to trade for a star to pair with Jalen Brunson.
But the Knicks are still in a positon to add to the roster via the NBA Draft. Team president Leon Rose and the rest of the organization have two picks in the first round of this year’s draft and could use those picks rather than trading them. They have the No. 24 pick (via Dallas) and the No. 25 pick in the first round and the No. 38 pick (via Utah) in the second round.
For this year, the draft will be held over two days, with day one on Wednesday, June 26 and day two on Thursday, June 27. Both days will be at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
With the NBA Draft fast approaching, here’s who the experts think the Knicks will select in the first round of their latest mock drafts…
No. 24: Center Yves Missi (Baylor)
Height: 6-foot-11
Weight: 229 pounds
Age: 20
Missi is a lanky, athletic big man with great upside as a defender and lob threat. He’s still learning the game, and 3-pointers aren’t even close to being a part of his arsenal. But if he can hone a push shot/floater, he could find a home in an NBA rotation as a defense-first center.
No. 25: Shooting Guard Kyshawn George (Miami)
Height: 6-foot-7
Weight: 209 pounds
Age: 20
Miami unearthed a gem in signing George, who came from Switzerland as an unheralded prospect. He developed into a key part of the Hurricanes’ rotation as the season progressed, with his 3-point shooting becoming an impressive asset. He also ranked as Miami’s top defender, per evanmiya.com, which makes him an appealing two-way wing prospect.
Jonathan Wasserman, Bleacher Report
No. 24: Power forward Ryan Dunn (Virginia)
Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 214 pounds
Age: 21
The Knicks felt the payoff of having a big-wing defender like OG Anubody. Dunn could give them another one whose court coverage and play-disrupting around the basket led to some wild steal and block rates.
The New York native already worked out for the Knicks and has a big workout next week in Portland against projected first-rounders Ron Holland, Tijane Salaun and Keyshawn George.
No. 25: Guard Tyler Kolek (Marquette)
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 197 pounds
Age: 23
Miles McBride became a key member of New York’s rotation, but Tyler Kolek would give it some needed playmaking/facilitating behind Jalen Brunson.
Underwhelming measurements (6’1″, 6’3″ wingspan) and athletic testing will keep teams’ vision of Kolek as a backup. But that could still be enough to draw first-round interest, particularly from playoff teams who’ll see a guard who can instantly provide pick-and-roll offense, spot-up shooting and toughness.
No. 24: Center Zach Edey (Purdue)
Height: 7-foot-4
Weight: 299 pounds
Age: 22
As incredible as Edey was at Purdue over the past two years, he remains a divisive NBA prospect with what appears to be a pretty big range. He could go in the lottery or slip into the 20s. Either way, Edey would be a nice option for the Knicks if he’s still available at this point in the draft considering they could be on the verge of losing Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency.
No. 25: Forward Justin Edwards (Kentucky)
Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 209 pounds
Age: 20
Edwards was the highest-ranked prospect in Kentucky’s top-ranked recruiting class but was largely disappointing all season. He finished sixth on the team in points, sixth on the team in scoring and averaged roughly as many turnovers as assists. Is he worth a flier at this point in the draft by a New York franchise with back-to-back picks? Sure. But Edwards did very little at UK to suggest he should be selected anywhere close to where most had him projected six months ago.
No. 24: Guard Tyler Kolek (Marquette)
Kolek is a crafty guard. I’m not convinced he can even dunk, but he knows exactly how to play off two feet and is an elite distributor in ball screens. He made a big leap as a shooter this past season, drilling 38.8 percent from 3 while looking much more confident pulling up when opportunities arose. Kolek must prove he has the foot speed to hold up on defense in the NBA, and he’ll need to prove he can create separation with the ball in his hands against better defenders. But any team looking for a backup guard could plug Kolek in early.
No. 25: Forward DaRon Holmes (Dayton)
Height: 6-foot-9
Weight: 220 pounds
Age: 21
Holmes had an outstanding season at Dayton, winning All-American honors by averaging 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.1 blocks while hitting 54.4 percent from the field and 38.6 percent from 3. He’s a versatile big who has a lot of answers for opponents’ ball-screen coverages. He can pick-and-pop, short roll to pass, short roll to finish himself or dive all the way to the rim to catch a lob. Defensively, he’s a good shot blocker and has flashed potential to stick with guards for a couple of slides on the perimeter.
No. 24: Center Kyle Filipowski (Duke)
Height: 6-foot-11
Weight: 248 pounds
Age: 20
New York is loaded with Duke fans and Filipowski could be an instant favorite. The sturdy center may not be an elite rim protector nor a consistent 3-pointer shooter, but he has good footwork and plays hard. The Knicks had a solid run into the second round of the playoffs and Filipowski could be another piece to help push them deeper.
No. 25: Guard Tyler Kolek (Marquette)
The Knicks have one bucket-getter in Brunson and Kolek could be an option to help take some of the pressure off. The 6-3 guard is a steady hand at the point who can score at multiple levels. The two-time All-American could also become a fan favorite at the Garden with his scrappy play and ability to score in bunches when needed.
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