NBA: 10 impact rookies of 2014-15

8. Cleanthony Early- SF, New York Knicks

Cleanthony Early is going to be one of the better players from the 2014 draft class, and he’s going to get the playing time to prove it this season.

I know the Knicks are stacked with wings, but they’re either going to make a trade or they’re going to revolutionize basketball and play all of them at the same time.

Early is a cold-blooded assassin, as we saw against Kentucky in the NCAA tournament. On a talented but thin Wichita State team, Early went head-to-head with the future NBA stars of Kentucky and was the best player in the game. Sure, the Wildcats won the game because of a couple more clutch plays, but it wasn’t Early’s fault the Shockers lost.

Early is the perfect mix of size, length, and skill for the small forward position. At 6-8 and with his skill set, I think he has the potential to be the closest thing we’ve seen to Kevin Durant so far. Obviously, he’s not as good as Kevin Durant was at this point in their careers, but Early has that kind of potential to contribute in a similar style as Durant, by using his size and unlimited range. I’m not saying Early will be as good as Durant ever, ever, ever; I’m simply making an observation based on what I’ve seen from Early and Durant. If Early wanted to some advice, I’d tell him to model his game after Durant. That’s all; don’t freak out.

This season, I expect Early to be a really good backup forward for Carmelo Anthony. I’m not talking Sixth Man of the Year potential, but Early should be able to come off the bench as a shooter/scorer the Knicks need. I also really like the opportunity for early to play alongside Anthony. We all know how Phil Jackson loves floor spacing. Playing Anthony and Early together with Tim Hardaway Jr./J.R. Smith and Jose Calderon would give the Knicks the best three-point shooting lineup in the NBA.