The New York Knicks president Phil Jackson may not end up with his purported top choice - Karl-Anthony Towns - in the 2015 NBA draft after all. The latest mock draft from ESPN's Jeff Goodman has New York picking Jahlil Okafor second overall, over point guards Emmanuel Mudiay and D'Angelo Russell.
It's an open secret - or an insanely effective smokescreen - Jackson wants to select Towns in the draft. Jackson has seen him play, and he's gone on the record as saying he prefers to draft defensive-minded bigs, something which is the Kentucky freshman's defining characteristic.
Unfortunately for Jackson, Goodman's latest mock draft has Towns going No. 1 to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Okafor going No. 2 to New York by virtue of being (arguably) the next best available player.
"The Knicks need just about everything, so team president Phil Jackson has to go with the best player on the board -- and it'll be Okafor if Towns goes No. 1," Goodman wrote Monday. "Okafor is a rare breed, a true center who can score in the post with a variety of moves. He's a high-basketball IQ guy with tremendous footwork and hands. He would take some of the pressure off Carmelo Anthony on the offensive end, but needs to improve on the defensive side of the floor."
Goodman's mock draft comes with a key disclaimer: The draft order corresponds to the regular-season records - worst to best - of each team. The actual draft order will be determined in the lottery on May 19, and although the Knicks have the second-best chance of winning the No. 1 pick, it rarely ever works out that way.
Still, Goodman's mock is a nice teaser for what could -statistically speaking - happen. Mudiay and Russell are likely possibilities if New York lands the third or the fourth pick. If the Knicks get any pick higher than No. 4, though, Jackson has indicated he will trade down.
The NBA draft is on June 25.
