New York Knicks: 2019 NBA Mock Draft, Sweet 16 edition
147. . SF. Stanford. KZ Okpala. 17. player
Age: 19
Height, Weight: 6-foot-9, 215 pounds
Slash Line: .465/.375/.671
Season Averages: 16.9 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 1.1 3PM
The Brooklyn Nets are on the rise, six years after the Paul Pierce–Kevin Garnett trade that crippled the franchise’s assets. Massive salaries to an injured Deron Williams and an aging Joe Johnson hampered the payroll, as well, and they finally have money to play with in free agency.
While this team isn’t good enough to call the No. 17 overall pick a “luxury,” it will still deepen a team with intriguing pieces at multiple positions, including D’Angelo Russell, Joe Harris and Jarrett Allen.
KZ Okpala slides into the middle as a wing. His 6-foot-9 frame and seven-foot wingspan offer an ideal combination as a defender, despite questions, per NBADraft.net, if he will hone his physical traits, and the offensive output followed as a sophomore at Stanford.
Perhaps Okpala’s best attribute, his athleticism is on par with the best of this draft class. He will fly in transition and move well with the ball.
How Okpala’s outside shooting translates remain to be seen, as well. He makes 37.5 percent of his outside shots, but only on just over one per game.
The other team in the five boroughs with the New York Knicks, they can make more noise with the draft. How these teams line up against each other, with free agency ahead, too, will become a storyline for 2019-20.