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New York Knicks: Drafting a point guard in the 2018 NBA Draft would be a mistake

By Robbie Stratakos

NBA New York Knicks Frank Ntilikina (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
NBA New York Knicks Frank Ntilikina (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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Trae Young and Collin Sexton are intriguing prospects, but the New York Knicks must resist the urge to draft a point guard with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft

Frank Ntilikina is just 19 years old, Trey Burke went on a scoring tear towards the end of the 2017-18 season, and Emmanuel Mudiay has another year left on his contract. Why would the New York Knicks draft a point guard with the three of them already in place?

After a fifth consecutive playoff deprived season, the Knicks will select ninth in the 2018 NBA Draft. In what’s a very deep draft class, president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry should be able to pick an intriguing youngster of their choosing when its their turn to select.

One name who’s been discussed as a possibility for the Knicks at nine is Oklahoma point guard Trae Young.

Granted he has to improve defensively, Young is a gifted offensive player. Averaging an astonishing 27.4 points and 8.7 assists per game in his freshman season, Young wowed the nation with his ability to score at will and find the open man.

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He can run the fastbreak, play in isolation, and get to the rim with ease. If he can continue to progress his game, Young could be a star in the NBA.

Alabama’s Collin Sexton is another point guard who impressed in his Freshman season. Averaging 19.2 points per game, he showcased the ability to be a reliable go-to scoring option. Sexton also competes on the defensive end. Whether it be playing swarming on-ball defense or helping out on the perimeter, Sexton can play at a high level defensively, and that play would be much-appreciated for a Knicks’ team that is looking to establish a defensive mentality under new head coach David Fizdale.

But the Knicks already have a young, defensive-minded point guard in Ntilikina and a scoring threat in Burke.

Sure, Ntilikina averaged just 5.9 points per game on 36.4 percent shooting, but when the Knicks drafted him they knew offense wasn’t his forte. He’s adept at shutting down ball-handlers, using his near-seven foot wingspan to intercept passes and frustrate ball-handlers. He also plays with a selfless mentality on the offensive end. Plus, down the stretch of his rookie season, Ntilikina became more comfortable hoisting up shots from deep and forcing the issue at the rim. And then-head coach Jeff Hornacek never gave the Frenchman a consistent role in the team’s rotation which did Ntilikina no favors.

Ntilikina isn’t perfect, but he’s who the Knicks selected with the eighth pick in last year’s draft. Yes, he was Phil Jackson’s pick, but management spoke highly of Ntilikina and said they still would’ve taken him if Jackson didn’t have final say; they have to show commitment to the 19-year-old. Drafting another point guard in the first round to potentially start would signal an inability by management to commit to young talent.

Burke was called up from the G-League in January, but when given the chance to produce, did as such. Averaging 12.8 points per game on a career-high 50.3 percent shooting in just 21.8 minutes a night, he was one of very few bright spots in a dark season for the Knicks and appeared to come into his own as a reliable scoring outlet. In fact, Burke broke out to drop 42 points in a March 26th matchup with the Charlotte Hornets.

At $1.8 million, he’ll be a bargain for the Knicks in the 2018-19 season.

While he is a free agent after the 2018-19 season (like Burke), Mudiay is an interesting situation for the Knicks. Yes, he struggles to finish at the rim and hasn’t built a consistent jumper, but the former number seven overall pick is quick, sees the floor well, and has shown that he can compete defensively; the Knicks shouldn’t give up on Mudiay.

Ntilikina, Burke and Mudiay each do something the other two don’t. Is it ideal to have three point guards who could play a significant role in a rotation be on the same team? Probably not, but competition can push others and each point guard has something to prove to the coaching staff and potentially other teams for their 2019 free agency (Burke and Mudiay).

But at some point, the point guard glut can’t bleed on, and drafting one further clogs up minutes, freezes growth, and creates a headache for Fizdale.

The Knicks should be looking to add two-way wings and depth at center – with Enes Kanter and Kyle O’Quinn potentially opting out of their contracts for the 2018-19 season. There are three wings who would make sense and may be available when they select: Michigan State’s Miles Bridges, Villanova’s Mikal Bridges, and Kentucky’s Kevin Knox. The younger Bridges (Miles), has shown in his two years at Michigan State that he’s a complete player.

Both Bridges are lockdown defenders, athletic, and can play out on the perimeter. Miles though, is adept at getting to the rim and serving as a go-to scoring option. The same goes for Knox who’s a physical specimen.

The Knicks have one and potentially two point guards going forward in Ntilikina and Burke. They have a franchise player in Kristaps Porzingis (depending heavily on his ability to bounce back from a gruesome ACL-tear) who can compete at a high level on both ends, and a well-put-together scorer in shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr (who averaged 17.5 points per game last season).

Forward Troy Williams and shooting guard Damyean Dotson also impressed down the stretch of the regular season; there’s a core in place with the Knicks.

Mills and Perry need to nail the pick at number nine. It could be a forward or a highly-regarded big man such as Texas’ Mohamed Bamba or Duke’s Wendell Carter if they happen to drop to nine. But a point guard is not what the Knicks need or should be setting their sights on in the draft.

In 2013, the Knicks started Raymond Felton at point guard on Opening Night. The ensuing year, they rolled with Shane Larkin (due to a Jose Calderon injury).

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In 2015, they went with a healthy Calderon. The year after, it was Derrick Rose, and last season the Knicks started Ramon Sessions at point guard – who was released midseason. Whoever gets the keys to the Knicks’ offense will be the team’s sixth Opening Night starting point guard in the last six years.

Young and Sexton could pan out to be premier NBA point guards, but the New York Knicks are one of the last teams in the NBA who should be looking to draft and run an experiment with yet another point guard.

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