njknicks wrote:Outside of the top 5 - take a look @ recent draft history, there are gems to be had ( Knicks just need to do their homework & make the right choice ) :
Jamal Murray - 7th pick
Donovan Mitchell - 13th pick
Giannis - 15th pick
Rudy Gobert - 27th pick
Pascal Siakam - 27th pick
Jimmy Butler - 30th pick
Nikola Jokic - 41st pick
Fred VanVleet - undrafted
Duncan Robinson - undrafted
Their last few years have been pathetic!
They were stupid enough to give up their 2016 1st for Bargnani who was hot trash and all the Raptors wanted was to get him off their books and 1-2 2nds plus matching salary would have sufficed. Sadly for them, that pick was 7th, but thanks to the Melo trade, the Nuggets were able to exercise their option to swap picks that allowed them to draft Jamal Murray. Even then, if they had kept their pick, they could have drafted Domantas Sabonis who drafted 11th overall by Orlando and then was traded for Ibaka.
Here's the other picks they whiffed on to take on a bunch of dudes who were whiffs:
2017: Drafted Frank who was probably drafted 10 spots too high and was a major project who needed playing time in order to play through his mistakes and see what he needs to work on and subsequently botch his development curve. Plus defender who could develop a 3PT shot if given the opportunity to do so.
Players missed out on:
Donovan Mitchell(13th), Bam Adebayo(14th), OG Anunoby(23rd, should have tried to make a move for him when he was available), Dillon Brooks(45th)
2018: Kevin Knox. There were so many red flags about this dude that his only positive attribute was his draft age. He was deemed another major project who's BB IQ was questionable at best and he is more likely to be a 4 due to the fact that he could easily be abused by the premier wings of the league. At this point in time, they should have been shopping Porzingis around and see what they could get for him before his value sunk due to his health concerns. Players they missed out on:
Mikal Bridges, SGA, Miles Bridges, MPJ(back issues were a red flag, they get a pass). They did draft Mitchell Robinson with their 2nd and he looks very promising. Very stupid that they signed Randle who compounds spacing with Robinson on the floor plus if Rob were given more playing time to learn from his mistakes(fouling, improving FT%), he'd be better for it long term.
2019: Too soon to tell, but RJ Barrett looks promising even though it was a turbulent year where the Knicks were giving away valuable playing time for a bunch of mercenaries who'd be gone in a year after the failed attempt to lure KD and Kyrie. They should have used this year to develop the young players and let them learn through their mistakes, but Fizdale was ill-suited for the job and now Thibodeau is the coach and we'll see how things go.
We'll see how things go in 2020. Apparently the Magic are interested in Dennis Smith Jr. If they are smart, the Knicks should try and get their 1st while eating one of their bad deals, but I ain't betting on it.