Kentucky forward Trey Lyles is the latest 2015 NBA draft prospect to be linked to the New York Knicks. Knicks president Phil Jackson reportedly sees Lyles as a "good fit" for the vaunted triangle offense, with Lyles now joining Kentucky center Willie Cauley-Stein and Duke forward Justise Winslow as the latest players Jackson is said to be eying with the fourth overall pick of the draft.
Lyles finished last season at Kentucky with averages of 8.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, and according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, the 6-foot-10 freshman has Jackson's interest.
"A source tells (the Daily News) that Phil Jackson thinks Trey Lyles would be a good fit for the triangle offense," Isola wrote Saturday. "...While (Karl-Anthony) Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein have garnered the most attention, the Knicks for months have been enamored with Trey Lyles, according to a team source. Lyles is a 6-foot-10 forward out of Indianapolis who Phil Jackson sees as a good fit for the triangle offense."
Isola's report is the latest to indicate Jackson may not go with one of the projected top four players - Towns, Jahlil Okafor, Emmanuel Mudiay and D'Angelo Russell - in the draft. Lyles played a key role on the Wildcats last season, but the 19-year-old was by no means the star of the show. Hearing Lyles name linked to New York's No. 4 pick is surprising because no mock drafts have him going in the top 10, let alone the top four. New York's purported interest in Lyles, assuming it's not just a pre-draft smokescreen, could also suggest Jackson is indeed leaning toward trading down.
As mentioned, Lyles joins teammate Cauley-Stein and Winslow as the latest players said to have Jackson's eye.
"Two different sources today told me the Knicks are also looking strongly at Willie Cauley-Stein. They want a strong defender in New York, which explains the Winslow and Cauley-Stein interest," Ford wrote Wednesday. "Of course, I also think there's a good chance they just trade this pick if the right veteran comes around. But for me, I think they really should keep it. Lots of talent with long-term potential where they are drafting."
The NBA draft is on June 25.
