This offseason is a critical one for the New York Knicks, especially when it comes to their first-round pick in the upcoming 2018 NBA Draft. They have the No. 9 pick in the draft lottery that they hope will land them another franchise cornerstone, but there are still a few prospects the team should steer clear of in favor of other options. Here are three players the Knicks would be smart to avoid with that pick:
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1) Miles Bridges, SF, Michigan State Spartans
New York has expressed interest in both Mikal Bridges and Miles Bridges, and if Mikal is off the board at No. 9, they could go for Miles. And it's easy to see the positives when it comes to the Michigan State product. He is a freak athlete who is excellent finishing around the rim and has shown somewhat of an improved jumper, making him an athletic 3-and-D candidate.
However, outside of spot-up jumpers and dunks, Bridges' game is largely lacking. He's not good at creating his own shot and often turns the ball over whenever he has to do any playmaking of his own. I project him to be an energy bench guy in the NBA, and that's not the kind of player you want to use a top-10 pick on.
2) Shai Gilgeous Alexander, PG/SG, Kentucky Wildcats
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I really like Gilgeous-Alexander as a player but I hate the way he would fit into the Knicks if they draft him. The upside of a 6-foot-6 point guard is obvious, and with SGA's playmaking abilities, I think he'll be a very serviceable player in the league for a long time.
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However, the Knicks already have a large number of guards with Frank Ntilikina, Trey Burke, and Emmanuel Mudiay, and Gilgeous-Alexander doesn't provide anything those players are lacking (and would create more of a logjam). A starting backcourt of Ntilikina and Gilgeous-Alexander would have a lot of upside defensively but they're too similar for me to think that combination would work.
3) Kevin Knox, SF, Kentucky Wildcats
New York would be reaching for Knox at this point in the draft, but as they focus on small forwards, they could make that reach if Porter and Mikal Bridges are off the board.
Knox was one of the top prospects in the country this year because of his scoring ability. As a 6-foot-9 wing player, Knox can fill it up with the best of them and might be the best pure scorer in the class. He has a reliable jumper, excels around the rim with his length, and has shown he is capable of scoring from all three levels (around the basket, mid-range, three-point range).
Yet, despite all of that skill, Knox had a major tendency to fade out of games during his lone season at Kentucky and would often go extended stretches without even being a threat on offense. The Wildcats needed a go-to scorer to step up last year and, while Knox was signed to be that guy, he seemingly refused to step into that role.
There are other negatives about Knox as well - he needs to get stronger and his defense often leaves much to be desired - but his major lack of aggression makes me believe he won't reach his full potential. It feels like he'll only end up being a role player in his career.
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