NBA Rumors: New York Knicks eyeing explosive guard out of Oklahoma with the 9th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft?
The New York Knicks, selecting 9th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft, can’t afford another misstep at the draft. Not because they’re running out of time, but because effective rebuilding, especially when the organization is no longer a true free agency draw, is usually made or broken during the draft.
And it appears the New York Knicks have their eyes on on flashy guard. Or, at the very least, want to make it seem that way.
According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, the New York Knicks have the eyes for Trae Young and he wouldn’t mind getting drafted by the Knicks. Which is interesting, for a number of reasons.
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"[via The Ringer]Multiple league sources told me that the Knicks have the hots for the Oklahoma point guard, so the interest is mutual. It’s easy to understand why: Young is an ideal fit alongside Frank Ntilikina, whom the Knicks view as a 2-guard who can occasionally run the offense. Ntilikina could space the floor to allow Young to work his magic on the ball; conversely, Young could race through screens off the ball to get open for 3s while Ntilikina initiates the offense. It’d be a perfect pairing to ease the workload on Kristaps Porzingis."
For one, whenever something links, it’s always important to see who benefits from said report. This report that is out there, you’d have to look at both parties here benefiting. For one, Young could benefit this by improving his draft stock, if he – or his team- believes that its taken a bit of a tumble of the last few weeks/months.
As for the Knicks, maybe they do really like Young. I don’t think anyone would blame them if they did. After all, nabbing Young, who at one point in the NCAA season was considered as the favorite to win Player of the Year, at No. 9 wouldn’t be the worse thing in the world.
Certainly not the worse thing the Knicks have done over the last few offseasons.
On the other hand, this report being out there could also help their pursuit for a forward, perhaps one that they really have their eye on. They might need a few tumblers or two on draft night if they expect to come away with the player that is on top of their draft board.
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Selecting at 9, even in a fairly deep draft class, isn’t an ideal spot. In the end, this could just be a bunch of smoke.