New York Knicks NBA Draft History: 1985

The 1985 NBA Draft was a landmark year for the New York Knicks, who selected their future face of the franchise.

From 1978-84, the NBA Draft did not produce stars for the New York Knicks. The closest was Michael Ray Richardson, who was traded and succumbed to off-the-court issues in his brief but talented career.

However, the Knicks took advantage of the first-ever draft lottery in 1985. They entered a seven-team field, all of whom had even odds to win the top pick, and the results were positive and franchise-changing.

1985 also marked the first year of seven rounds — not the usual, and bloated 10. How did everything transpire for the Knicks?

Slash Line (with Knicks): .508/.156/.742
Career Averages (with Knicks): 22.8 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, 2.7 BPG

It goes without saying, this is New York’s greatest draft pick ever, easily.

Patrick Ewing was the pre-determined star of the 1985 NBA Draft, much like Zion Williamson 34 years later. Georgetown had this player for a full four years, including two double-double average seasons, and he became the clear-cut first overall pick.

The Knicks, of course, won the lottery, with the classic Dave DeBusschere fist pump highlighting the historic night.

The payoff was immediate. Ewing averaged 20 points and nine rebounds in his first year and won the 1985-86 NBA Rookie of the Year award. 11 All-Star Game appearances eventually followed in his list of accolades.

Ewing had nine years averaging a double-double, which started as he peaked as a 27 year old and continued until age 35, when injuries factored into his 1997-98 campaign. He even took them to the 1994 NBA Finals and within a game, only to fall to the Hakeem Olajuwon‘s Houston Rockets.

The Knicks had one more chance in 1999, but ran into David Robinson and Tim Duncan‘s San Antonio Spurs. It became Ewing’s final opportunity at chasing glory, and he played just 62 more games with the franchise that drafted him, before two awkward stints in Seattle and Orlando.

While the Knicks never maxed their potential with Ewing for 15 seasons, he still became an all-time great center and an exciting piece for this team to work around. It took over a decade to find someone else — Carmelo Anthony — like that again.

Slash Line (with Knicks): .461/.309/.734
Career Averages (with Knicks): 14.9 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 0.4 3PM

While Ewing was the prize of this class, the Knicks chose a quality player in the second round: Gerald Wilkins. The No. 47 pick from Tennessee at Chattanooga, this became a stalwart of the late ’80s and early ’90s teams.

Wilkins just preceded the ’94 championship run, but he had seasons of 17.4 and 19.1 points per game, while starting 480 of the 555 games played in New York. He even developed somewhat of a three-point shot, long before it became an NBA necessity.

However, Wilkins left in free agency as John Starks rose to prominence, playing well in two seasons with Cleveland, before an injury curtailed the final four years of his career.

Slash Line (with Knicks): .408/.200/.600
Career Averages (with Knicks): 3.7 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 0.1 3PM

The Knicks picked Fred Cofield with the 73rd overall pick in 1985. He lasted one year and 45 games in Manhattan. Five games were games for the Bulls in 1986-87, and that was all for Cofield’s NBA career.

The following three Knicks picks never played in the NBA regular season:

• Mike Schiegel (Round 5, Pick 96)
• Kent Lockhart (Round 6, Pick 119)
• Ken Bantum (Round 7, Pick 142)

The next New York Knicks draft look-back will highlight the 1986 class.