Kentucky center Karl-Anthony Towns, not Duke center Jahlil Okafor, reportedly is No. 1 on the New York Knicks' wish list for the 2015 NBA draft. Sources inside the Knicks organization supposedly leaked to ESPN the top five players on the team's draft board, which includes Ohio State guard D'Angelo Russell and overseas rookie Emmanuel Mudiay. Assuming the reported list is accurate, it offers some surprising insight into how team president Phil Jackson ranks the draft class and how he plans to retool in the offseason.
The summer of 2015 will be big for the Knicks. Necessity dictates as much, and with a little luck in the NBA draft lottery and in free agency, the cellar-dwelling Knicks could quickly become a playoff contender next season in the watered down Eastern Conference. The Knicks' first step to turning things around begins on May 19 with the lottery, which will determine where the team picks in the draft.
New York's 17-65 record gives them the second-best chance of drawing the first overall pick, and the team's draft board, as reported by ESPN, gives you an idea of Jackson's plan of attack if he lands a top pick.
Per ESPN:
"According to ESPN Insider Chad Ford, Towns is currently the Knicks' top choice if they wind up with the No. 1 pick. New York ranks Towns at No. 1 on its draft board, followed by Okafor, Mudiay, Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell and Duke's Justise Winslow, sources inside the organization told Ford."
Although Okafor is considered the consensus No. 1 pick, Jackson said in the past he wants to draft a defensive-minded big. That means Towns, whose stock has steadily risen since March. Whereas Okafor is a polished scorer, Towns is a superior defender and is considered to have better upside than his Duke counterpart.
The biggest surprise of Jackson's purported draft board, for me, was Mudiay being ahead of Russell. Mudiay, a scoring guard in the mold of a Derrick Rose or a John Wall, has more questions surrounding him because of the lack of game tape on him. The 19-year-old point guard skipped his freshman year of college to play professionally in China, but an ankle injury limited him to playing in less than 20 games during the CBA season.
By contrast, Russell seems to be a safer bet. He's a two-way guard whom experts believe has upside, a high basketball IQ and a veteran-like maturity. Moreover, some experts believe he will be a sure-thing in the NBA.
This is the first I'm hearing of the Knicks having interest in Winslow. If the other four players are off the board by the time Jackson picks, I see him trading down - especially when he can likely get Mario Hezonja, an Croatian swingman whom some believe to be a bigger and better version of Winslow, later in the draft if he really wants a wing.
Jackson also suggested he would trade down if his pick landed outside the top four.
Assuming the ESPN report about Jackson's draft board is accurate, it confirms some of the predictions out there regarding what Jackson will do in the offseason. Acquiring a talented big appears indeed to be his No. 1 priority, with acquiring a point guard his second.
Towns and Okafor are too talented to pass up with the Nos. 1 or 2 picks, but given how sparse the point guard market will be in free agency, it may actually be a blessing in disguise if Jackson lands Mudiay or Russell.
As for free agency, this summer is shaping up to have a deep market for bigs. Although Jackson is unlikely to get Marc Gasol, there're still a number of talented bigs expected to be available. Some of those names include Greg Monroe, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love, Paul Millsap, Brook Lopez, and possibly even Roy Hibbert.
The free-agent point guard market, by comparison, is much weaker. Nonexistent, even. Goran Dragic and Reggie Jackson (RF) both are expected to stay with their respective teams, and Rajon Rondo really wouldn't be a great fit for the triangle offense, especially given how his outside shot has gotten even worse. Taking those three players out of the equation leaves Brandon Knight (RF) as the best 1-guard on the market, and it's unlikely the Phoenix Suns let him walk in July.
Other soon-to-be free agents, some of whom haven't been linked to New York, include Tobias Harris, Danny Green, Gerald Green, DeMarre Carroll, Thaddeus Young and Brandon Bass.
