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New York Knicks: Top 5 combo guards in 2018 NBA Draft

By Maxwell Ogden

PITTSBURGH, PA - FEBRUARY 13: Jerome Robinson #1 of the Boston College Eagles reacts after a basket in the second half during the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Petersen Events Center on February 13, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - FEBRUARY 13: Jerome Robinson #1 of the Boston College Eagles reacts after a basket in the second half during the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Petersen Events Center on February 13, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 11: De’Anthony Melton #22 of the USC Trojans handles the ball against the Oregon Ducks during a Pac12 confernce college basketball game at Galen Center on February 11, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 11: De’Anthony Melton #22 of the USC Trojans handles the ball against the Oregon Ducks during a Pac12 confernce college basketball game at Galen Center on February 11, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images) /

Age: 20 (5/28/1998)
Height, Weight, Wingspan: 6’3.25″, 193 pounds, 6’8.5″
2016-17 Slash Line: .437/.284/.706
2016-17 Season Averages: 27.0 MPG, 8.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.9 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 0.6 3PM

De’Anthony Melton is one of the prospects in the divisive, but riveting pool of players who qualify as enigmatic. He produced an impressive freshman season, but was suspended for the duration of the 2017-18 campaign for allegedly accepting benefits that violated NCAA rules and regulations.

The New York Knicks desperately need to improve on defense, however, which is why Melton projects to be one of the best fitting combo guards on the board.

Melton stands at 6’3.25″ with a near 6’9″ wingspan, which gives him ideal physical tools to defend the point guard position. He’ll need to rely on his athleticism and intensity to defend the 2-spot, however, as he’s somewhat undersized for off-guard assignments.

Concerning as that may be, the defensive duo of Melton and Frank Ntilikina could yield elite results, as they project to be able to fluidly defend the two backcourt positions.

Offensively, Melton will need to polish his skill set, as he isn’t the most explosive athlete on the board. He’s a subpar shooter and an average distributor, but he sees the floor relatively well and does a respectable job of finishing at the rim.

This would be more of a project than a safe investment, but Melton flashed Marcus Smart potential during his freshman season at USC—an intriguing comparison, to say the least.

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