New York Knicks: Ranking every NBA Draft Lottery pick

7. Jordan Hill (2009)

To continue the lack of success in the lottery, with actually one of the New York Knicks’ latest picks, they took Jordan Hill eighth overall in the 2009 NBA Draft. This was a pick to bolster the frontcourt and add to David Lee, who was rising for the Knicks.

Hill, however, only lasted 24 games, before he was included in the Tracy McGrady trade with the Houston Rockets that opened cap space for the summer of 2010. Before it, he had just 4.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 10.5 minutes per contest.

The Arizona product’s career actually lasted through the 2016-17 season, as a role player and occasional starter for the Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Indiana Pacers. He did not have a miserable career, but for New York’s sake, and this high in the draft, it proved to be disappointing.

Hill was sandwiched between the seventh pick, Stephen Curry, and the ninth pick, DeMar DeRozan. Curry is a two-time NBA MVP, a three-time NBA champion, one of the greatest shooters ever and a future Pro Basketball Hall of Famer. DeRozan has become one of the League’s best shooting guards and became the face of the Toronto Raptors.

That is impossible for Hill to approach, dampening this pick for the Knicks. Hasheem Thabeet and Jonny Flynn were also top-10 picks, but in the same draft as Blake Griffin, James Harden, Ricky Rubio and Tyreke Evans, all of whom carved out nice or great careers.