moocow007 wrote:I'm honestly not all that thrilled with this draft.
Yeah there's a few guys at the top of the draft that looks real nice but the rest of the class? Kinda ehh-ish.
I would just go with BPA. This is because the Knicks are still a low end talent team.
Ive already mentioned some guys some time back (the top guys and a few that would likely go anywhere in this draft to undrafted) so not going to relist them but the following guys are among the group of other potential draft options I do like. Doesn't necessarily mean that any of these guys should be picked at where the Knicks currently project to pick (like everyone else in the draft outside of the top 2 or 3 guys, there's warts) and/or will be available at where they have each pick but just guys that I like (in order of preference):
Nikola Jovic
Not only does he have a lot of skills that he's already shown at 18 (against some top competition overseas), he has great feel for where he needs to be and plays with a real nice combination of aggressiveness and confidence. He has mismatch potential due to his 3-tier shot creation ability at 6'10" (and he may still be growing a little). He's not explosive but we've seen that you can still be a top tier impact player without it by using feel, aggressiveness and skill all of which he shows a significant amount of. Where would you play him and would he be an overlap at arguably the Knicks deepest position (PF)? Maybe but again, no one on this team should be locked in as a must keep and if I can get a guy that I believe can be an impact player in the NBA at some point down the line I take him. Him being just 18 makes it less of an issue in terms of fit cause I don't necessarily have to rush him.
Jaime Jaquez Jr
I just love the way this guy plays. The "Hock-daddy" (last name is pronounced "Hock-az"). He's an extremely talented shot creator that plays very aggressively but also that just seems to have a terrific feel for the game in terms of getting to open spots and creating easy opportunities for himself. He's not an explosive player but he's very very fluid with nice physical profile and when you combine that with his feel for the game and just how confident and aggressive him plays I think he can be a player in the NBA. His outside shot is inconsistent but his form is excellent and he has a quick release. I think as he develops and gets with an NBA coaching staff his shooting definitely will also become a plus tool. If/when that happens, he can be a Bogdan Bogdanovic level player, not a star, but damn nice role player that any coach would love to have on his team and that can be an integral cog on a top team.
Peyton Watson
He's got a bit of Tsunami Papi in his game. He's got a real nice combination of length/athleticism/springiness to his physical profile as a 6'8" wing. He can put the ball on the floor and create where he can explode to the basket and his defensive upside is extreme to me. He's got that same type Papi arrogance/confidence and his shot doesn't look bad at all to me. He probably needs work and time to develop but the upside from an NBA perspective be it as a versatile defender and a tertiary scorer/finisher.
There's a lot of excellent college players in this draft that has looked real good and put up real good stats in college...with fine looking highlight vids, etc. The problem is that I don't think the bulk of them can actually translate their college production to the NBA. Not just any college starting PG can become an NBA PG (even a backup PG). Not just any college scorer can become a scorer in the NBA. Not just any college shooter can become a 3 point specialist in the NBA. If it were that easy, there wouldn't be as many flubs as their are. That's really the key. How do you ID the guys that can actually take some part of their game and actually translate it in the NBA so that they can actually be a productive member of a NBA rotation. If I'm looking for a backup PG I'd rather just go an sign a vet in free agency for the vet minimum.
The guys above by no means are guarantees but I see some aspect of their game translating to the NBA with the possibility of significant impact at the next level. Maybe not stars, but strong role players and rotation guys. For most teams, if you can draft those types of players, it's a successful draft. That's what I'm looking for in a draft rather than trying to manufacture the next Steph Curry, Reggie Miller and the like in my head.
For the Knicks to be able to compete in the east they will have to match up with teams like Cleveland, Toronto and even Atlanta who are getting taller, longer with skilled front line players. I have my eye on Jovic, too. He's the type of player who has the potential, size and skill to match up with these modern bigs.
Although, they can't just focus on size and offensive skill because these other teams are building with players that have two way skills. If the Knicks want to stay competitive they will have to be aware of that and build their roster with the same mentality to find players who have two way skills. Does Jovic have them? Still need to watch more of him to tell.
Wow…. 
So we might end up with another pick 8
