New York Knicks: 2018 NBA Draft targets who stepped up on Mar. 8

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KANSAS CITY, MO – MARCH 08: Malik Newman #14 of the Kansas Jayhawks reacts after scoring during the Big 12 Basketball Tournament quarterfinal game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at the Sprint Center on March 8, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Diehard college basketball fans have been waiting roughly three years to see what Malik Newman can do on a big stage. A gifted scorer with NBA potential, Newman played his freshman season with the Mississippi State Bulldogs before transfer rules forced him to miss the 2016-17 season.

In the quarterfinals of the 2018 Big 12 Tournament, Newman showed Kansas Jayhawks fans that he was truly worth the wait.

Newman led Kansas to an impressive 82-68 victory over an Oklahoma State Cowboys squad that knocked off Trae Young and the Oklahoma Sooners in the previous round. He posted 30 points in 36 minutes of action, scoring at virtual will from almost every angle of the floor—quite literally.

Newman shot just 4-of-6 from the free throw line, but he went a highly efficient 11-of-15 from the field and 4-of-6 from beyond the three-point line.

This performance was what the NBA community has been waiting to see from Newman. A dynamic shot creator with a solid outside shot, Newman is an undersized shooting guard who can get his shot off under any circumstances.

If the New York Knicks have a chance to select Newman in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft, it would behoove the front office to at least take a look at him.

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