Knicks Rumors: Five reasons to select Edmond Sumner in 2017 NBA Draft

3. Improving Court Vision

One could argue that the New York Knicks are in desperate need of a point guard who can create for their teammates. The extent of how true that is could be debated, but there’s no denying how valuable an asset a point guard who can facilitate can be.

While Sumner may not be an elite facilitator, he’s capable of distributing the ball at a high level—and he’s improved every year.

Sumner’s production has remained consistent, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. He averaged 5.6 assists to 3.2 turnovers per 40 minutes as a sophomore, and provided a slight uptick in those numbers at 6.0 assists to 3.3 turnovers per 40 minutes as a junior.

That’s not necessarily elite production, but Sumner’s increase in distribution was greater than the increase in the number of turnovers he committed.

As a drive and dish facilitator in the modern NBA, which is flush with 3-point shooters, Sumner could flourish.

Beyond the statistics, Sumner has the size to work the pick and roll and pass over smaller defenders. The angles he’s able to play create an inherent advantage over smaller players, and enable him to comfortably operate against both point guards and shooting guards.

That would help both Willy Hernangomez and Kristaps Porzingis score with greater efficiency.

Sumner may not be the next Rajon Rondo, but he projects to provide a stronger output than Derrick Rose was able to in 2016-17.