Knicks 2019 Draft Analysis: Grading the six best back-up plans
If the New York Knicks can’t secure Zion Williamson and the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, who else is an option?
With the team’s latest loss to the Rockets, along with keeping Carmelo Anthony’s scoring record, the New York Knicks added another loss to the record, pushing them to the second worst record in the league. With the change to NBA draft rules this past offseason, the Knicks currently sit at dead-even odds to receive any of the top four picks with both the Suns and the Cavaliers, and increased odds at any picks in the top six per Tankathon’s latest 2019 draft lottery odds calculation.
Assuming the worst case scenario (and with this team, it’s never bad to assume bad luck), let’s look at some potential picks for the Knicks if they were to fall out of that vaunted No. 1 spot and how those players stack up in the rebuild plans for the 2019-2020 season.
Based on the latest collection of mock drafts and big boards from ESPN, NBC Sports’ Rob Dauster and Mark Schanowski, and Fansided’s own Brendon Kleen, the current consensus top 7 players in the 2019 Draft are as follows:
With the Knicks at the best odds to land a pick within the top 6, let’s see which players besides Zion have the best potential to help the 2019-2020 Knicks make a splash in the league: