With the Ninth Pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks Select…

The NBA draft is around the corner but worry not, Double G has you covered with coverage whether you root for the Knicks, the Nets, or the 76ers. This series of articles will focus on the available options tri-state area teams.

Best Case Scenario

Outside of the unlikely possibility of a top four player inexplicably dropping to the Knicks, they have to hope Trae Young is available. Young has some clear limitations but he would fit perfectly next to Frank Ntilikina. Frankie Smokes can cover up for Young’s defensive deficiencies while also playing off the ball and using his size and length to make him a great cutter. If he can improve his shooting from the 32 percent number as a rookie, he could become even more dangerous off-ball. Simply put, no player outside of Luka Doncic serves as a better fit for the Knicks at this spot or offers them a better chance of getting a complementary star to play with Kristaps Porzingis.

Worst-Case Scenario

The draft sees the best perimeter players go early and the Knicks are left to choose between Wendell Carter and Mo Bamba as the top available players. In this spot, New York might have to choose between those two, reaching for a player with potential like Kevin Knox and Zhaire Smith, or one of the point guards without a shot (Collin Sexton and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander). The Knicks would be between a rock and a hard place.

How Things Will Play Out

The Knicks seem likely to end up with one of the players who would fit here. Young, Mikal Bridges, or Michael Porter would all be fantastic fits for a team lacking a wing or elite point guard. Porter would be the biggest risk but could carry a substantial reward. Meanwhile, Bridges is a major sleeper who could combine with Porzingis and Ntilikina to solidify the Knicks’defense.

Bridges feels like the player most likely to be available when this pick comes around. He should be an excellent fit and would make the Knicks better immediately. It is not crazy to think that the Knicks could compete for the playoffs if they can add some depth at point guard and trot out a starting lineup with Trey Burke, Ntilikina, Tim Hardaway, Bridges, and Porzingis. That lineup combines shooting and defense in a way right in line with what Coach David Fizdale likes.

On the flip side, Collin Sexton is another possible choice. Burke is probably not the point guard of the future so it would not be a surprise to see them snag Sexton with the ninth pick. In that situation, the Knicks might struggle to generate floor spacing since neither Sexton nor Ntilikina are knockdown shooters and it might necessitate a Porzingis-Enes Kanter frontcourt. Sexton feels like the pick both because he is likely to be there and that he feels like the type of player the Knicks typically prefer.

Final Verdict

With the ninth pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the New York Knicks select Collin Sexton.