2015 NBA Draft: What if the New York Knicks Fall to No. 5?

Mar 29, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward

(12) celebrates after making a three-point basket against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the second half in the finals of the south regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks finished the 2014-15 regular season with the second-worst record in the association. Thus, the Knicks can fall no further than No. 5 in the 2015 NBA Draft.

What happens if New York does fall to No. 5?

The Top 4 prospects in this year’s draft class are agreed upon by a general consensus. The order in which they’ll be selected is up for debate, but the common theory is that they’re known and safe as the pre-combine Top 4.

In alphabetical order, those players are:

• Emmanuel Mudiay. A 6’5″ point guard who played for the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association.
• Jahlil Okafor. A 6’11” center who played for the Duke Blue Devils and won both ACC Player of the Year and a national championship. He was named First Team All-America.
• D’Angelo Russell. A 6’5″ combo guard who played for the Ohio State Buckeyes and won the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award. He was named First Team All-America.
• Karl-Anthony Towns. A 6’11” center who played for the Kentucky Wildcats and won the SEC Freshman of the Year award. He was named Second Team All-America.

Clearly, the dream scenario would be for one of those players to fall to the Knicks at No. 5 if they were to slip via the draft lottery. Assuming those four players come off the board in the order they’re expected to, however, the Knicks will be stuck in an interesting predicament.

The question is, which prospects should they target in such a scenario?

Next: The Next Lamar Odom?