Westchester Knicks: Recap Of NBA D-League Draft

The Westchester Knicks had five selections in the 2016 NBA D-League Draft. Who did the Knicks add to the 2016-17 D-League roster?

The Westchester Knicks kick off their third season in less than two weeks. Their roster is just about empty after many of last year’s players signed overseas.

There are a few players—Jordon Crawford, Cleanthony Early, and Damien Inglis— that are expected to be on the roster on opening night against the Delaware 87ers, the Philadelphia 76ers’ affiliate.

The NBA D-League Draft took place on Sunday and gave the Knicks an opportunity to add players to their roster. After trading two draft picks and obtaining one, Westchester had five picks in the draft.

With the 16th overall pick in the draft, the Knicks drafted Max Hooper. Upon hearing his name announced, an excited Hooper said he’s ready to join his new team.

Hooper spent his first two years at Harvard and St. John’s University before finishing his collegiate career at the University of Oakland. Hooper is known for being a 3-point specialist, as he knocked down at least 40 percent of his 3-point shots twice in his four year collegiate career.

During his senior season, he never shot a 2-point field goal. Never. Hooper attempted 257 shots and all of those shots were from beyond the arc. He converted on 45.5 percent of those shots.

Last season, the Knicks shot 32.6 percent from downtown, which was last in the NBA D-League.

The Knicks didn’t have a second-round pick, as that draft pick was sent to the Delaware 87ers from the Gani Lawal trade.

With their third-round selection, the Knicks selected Lasan Kromah. Kromah spent three years at George Washington University. He then transferred to the University of Connecticut (UCONN) where he played the final year of his college career. In his senior season, UCONN won the National Championship behind the 2014 Most Outstanding Player Shabazz Napier.

After he finished his collegiate career, Kromah spent time with the Alba Fehérvár of the Hungarian Basketball League and Torku Konyaspor of the Turkish Basketball League.

The Knicks didn’t own a fourth-round pick, as that draft pick was sent to the Reno Bighorns from when Westchester acquired Ra’Shad James.

In the fifth-round, Westchester selected forward Dane Miller. Miller, who played four years at Rutgers, averaged 8.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 28.0 minutes per game in his collegiate career.

Chris Reichert of the Step Back believes Dane Miller was an absolute steal in the fifth-round.

Miller last played in the D-League for the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s affiliate.

The Knicks had two selections in the sixth-round. With those two picks, they drafted Jason Carter and Bobby Ray Parks Jr.

Carter finished his collegiate career at Texas Southern. After going undrafted in 2015, he played with Kozuv Gevgelija of the Macedonian First League. In the three games he played in, the 6’9″ forward averaged 4.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 7.5 minutes per game.

Like Carter, Bobby Ray Parks Jr. went undrafted in 2015. After spending the Summer League with the Dallas Mavericks, he was drafted in the second-round of the 2015 D-League Draft by the Texas Legends.

When Ray Parks Jr. was drafted, he became the second Filipino player drafted behind Japeth Aguilar. The 6’4″ guard suited up in 32 games in his lone season with Texas. During the 2015-16 season, he averaged 4.6 points and1.9 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per contest.

Ian Begley of ESPN New York provided the full results.

2016-17 could be an exciting season in Westchester.