New York Knicks: Top 2019 NBA Draft target at each position as of April 19
As the New York Knicks continue the process for the 2019 NBA Draft, who are the best players at each position?
The NBA has mostly trended away from positions. The New York Knicks contributed to this movement, with lineups that featured Kevin Knox and Frank Ntilikina moving around due to their respective size.
However, some players possess the specific skills to fit a classic NBA position, including point guard and center. Trae Young and Deandre Ayton were talents from the 2018 draft class who represented this, and they delivered strong rookie seasons.
From the upcoming 2019 class, players stand tall among the prototypical point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and center positions. Some spots are stronger than others, with especial disparity for at least one of them entering the draft process.
The Knicks might have their choice of the top player at each position entering the 2019 NBA Draft. Who are these players, though?
Age: 19
Height, Weight: 6-foot-3, 175 pounds
Season Slash Line: .499/.363/.813
Season Averages: 24.5 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 10.0 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 1.7 3PM
Ja Morant was Murray State’s shining star of the regular season and the NCAA Tournament. Without him, the Racers don’t make the Big Dance and flash anything close to their Cinderella tease in March.
An opening round triple-double against Marquette put Morant on the national stage. He always stood tall among the 2019 class, and even as a top-five pick, but his spot on a mid-major school did him little favor for the public eye, so for that NCAA Tournament game to happen was his best-case scenario.
Now, Morant is not just a potential top-five pick, but maybe as high as second.
An athletic talent, Morant darts down the court in a flash, which will remind basketball fans of Russell Westbrook. That comparison is years away holding true, but the 19-year-old’s end-to-end speed and ability to impact all parts of the game as a point guard are tantalizing.
Morant could join a New York Knicks team that does not own a long-term answer at point guard. Dennis Smith Jr. might be the closest one to that, but inconsistencies after the midseason trade opened the book towards who could be next, whether him, Emmanuel Mudiay, Kyrie Irving or the 6-foot-3 draft prospect.
If the Knicks have the second pick and want Morant, there is little reason to avoid him for positional reasons. He might be the draft’s second-best player, so if New York does not take him, someone will soon after.