2019 NBA Mock Draft: The lottery order is officially official
player. 27. . F. Duke. Zion Williamson. 1
It’s a bit cheeky, even whiney, to say the Knicks need anything. Little kids who say they need stuff get scoffed at and sometimes punished for stepping their tiny feet out of bounds. You don’t need anything unless you can prove you’ve earned it.
So through mistake after crazier mistake, the Knicks have gaffed their way out of being able to claim any sort of need. Their roster is barren. They just traded the most talented player to join the roster since 2012 Carmelo Anthony — in fact, Kristaps Porzingis may be the only guy who you could even say for sure would have been starting on a different roster outside of Anthony during that time.
The Knicks need nothing. They deserve nothing. But they have the best chance to get this draft’s version of everything — Williamson. The freshman phenom officially declared for the 2019 draft on Monday, completing a rightly celebrated season that he called the best of his life.
Indeed it was. Duke’s roster had an embarrassment of riches and Williamson is a player who thrives on others’ successes. He got all the attention in the world and will be rewarded handsomely for that fame when he arrives in the NBA and starts fielding branding offers and shoe deals.
If we permit the Knicks to even whisper about something they think they might need, Williamson is it — relevance, exuberance and passion. New York basketball to mean something again.