Carmelo Anthony: What Makes An NBA Champion?
Draft Picks
Since Carmelo Anthony was traded to New York in 2010-11, the Knicks’ draft classes have been underwhelming. Outside of young phenom Kristaps Porzingis and Willy Hernangomez, no Knicks player drafted since 2010 is still with the team.
This list includes players like Jerian Grant, Cleanthony Early, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Tim Hardaway Jr., Kostas Papanikolaou, and Iman Shumpert.
Since the Anthony trade, the Knicks have only been bad enough to get a high draft pick in 2014-15. They’ve never let their young players grow or develop.
The Knicks have frequently traded away young players who they felt had reached their ceiling. The Oklahoma City Thunder, despite having two superstars on their team, were able to add players like Reggie Jackson and Steven Adams through the draft.
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While Jackson has gone on to play for the Detroit Pistons, both he and Adams played important roles on the teams that complemented Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
Now, it appears that this trend might change. While Anthony plays through the latter stages of his career, the Knicks, under Phil Jackson, possess all their first round draft picks through the 2020 season.
Any success from here forward will most likely be a product of Jackson meshing young players with Anthony and Porzingis.
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