Draft day or Groundhog Day?
Don’t let the 7-foot-4 Latvian unicorn fool you: the Knicks’ draft history is a joke. Even Porzingis was booed by cautious Knicks fans when he was chosen at No. 4 in 2015. Perry and Mills have no choice but to make a splash in the 2018 Draft – but with whom? With the ninth pick, the Knicks won’t necessarily be investing in a Rookie of the Year.
Some have pointed to Trae Young, who, according to his own father, was born for the New York spotlight. But Young is hardly a fit, nevermind the answer. The Knicks traded for Emmanuel Mudiay in February with the idea of him sharing ball-handling and playmaking responsibilities with Frank Ntilikina.
Meanwhile, Young is a player who always needs the ball in his hands, effectively cramping Mudiay and Ntilikina (and Trey Burke, who burst onto the MSG scene as an Iverson-esque Garden electrifier). And while Young has great court vision and insane range, he can’t quite hold up defensively. He may look like a junior Curry, but there’s no guarantee that he’ll live up to the hype – especially after flaming out in his only NCAA Tournament game.
Instead, the Knicks need a versatile, mature, defensive-minded wing. Villanova’s Mikal Bridges seems the obvious choice. As the oldest lottery prospect, Bridges doesn’t just bring two NCAA titles to the table. He boasts the very traits the Knicks are wearing on their sleeves: patience and work ethic.