New York Knicks options for 38th pick
Elijah Hughes, SG, 6’6, 215 lbs, Syracuse
Another New York native, Hughes shined out in his junior season in Syracuse, leading the team in scoring. While shooting 34.1 percent from 3 and snagging 1.2 steals a game, Hughes’ versatility brings a lethal scoring clip and solid perimeter defense to the table.
Elijah could be a solid bench scoring piece in the league and could be a perfect backup 2 behind Barrett. He’s looking at an early second-round landing spot and a good likelihood he’ll be on the board at 38.
Markus Howard, PG, 5’11, 180 lbs, Marquette
A sleeper in the second round of this year’s draft, Markus Howard is a walking bucket coming off of a tremendous four-year tenure at Marquette. In my opinion, the best pure scorer in the entire draft, Howard led all of D-1 in scoring this past season while averaging 27.8 ppg and shooting 41.2 percent from 3.
The only real concern around Howard is his size at only 5-foot-11 and if he can carry his scoring efficiency into the NBA. In my opinion, there’s never a wrong time to take a flyer on a four-year star in the mid-to-late second round. Howard could be an electric bench piece at the Garden that fans would fall in love with.
Xavier Tillman Sr., PF, 6’8, 245 lbs, Michigan State
An all-around force in the paint, Xavier Tillman projects to be an early-second rounder as he opted to stay in the draft and forego his senior season. With a strong build, Tillman can provide bruiser minutes off the bench for any team that takes a chance on him.
Grabbing 10.3 rebounds and swatting 2.1 blocks a game this past season in East Lansing, Tillman is built for the bright lights of New York City and could be another fan favorite amongst Knicks fans.