NBA Draft 2018: Knicks take Kevin Knox at No. 9
The New York Knicks went against the grain and selected Kevin Knox with the No. 9 pick in the 2018 NBA draft.
The Knicks are among the most dysfunctional franchises in the league. New York fans have looked forward to draft night since Kristaps Porzingis crumpled to the Garden floor clutching his left knee on Feb. 6. The clock is ticking on their Latvian unicorn, so they know they need to make strides in the right direction and show some promise as he recovers from a torn ACL.
The best way for them to do that is build their young core and find stability to re-instill winning in the Big Apple. The new front office has shown chops so far and hitting on this pick would be huge. Getting the right piece in this draft gives them a potential third pillar in their rebuild. A miss here though and it could condemn them to the hamster wheel of morass.
We knew it was going to be a crazy draft with a ton of moving parts. Mock drafts changed by the day and there was hardly any consensus from one site to another.
This is a deep draft class and the case could have been made to take numerous players. The Knicks were linked to Collin Sexton, Michael Porter, Kevin Knox, both Bridges, Wendell Carter, Trae Young, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander… but settled on Knox.
He impressed the Knicks and took it to Miles Bridges in their workout. Knox moved up draft boards due to his tremendous upside and ideal frame at 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot wingspan. As Jay Bilas loves to say, “he’s long and athletic.”
Knox’s motor has come into question but he has all the tools to be a two-way force and pair beautifully in the frontcourt with Porzingis. You need to keep in mind he still hasn’t turned 19-years-old yet, so assuming he matures, Knox can be an all-around centerpiece for a team that desperately needs one.
Update: The same kid who booed Porzingis also booed Knox, so he’s definitely destined for greatness.