New York Knicks: Eight players to consider early in 2020 NBA Draft
If the New York Knicks land another high pick in the NBA Draft, these eight players stand out as early candidates for this selection.
With the NBA season ahead, and with the New York Knicks yet again at risk of not making the playoffs, it’s only fair we discuss who they could look into drafting next summer. So with that being said, here are the top 8 prospects the Knicks should look into drafting in the 2020 NBA Draft:
1. Cole Anthony (Point Guard)
If the Knicks select Cole Anthony, chances are, the year they had didn’t go as planned. If the year they had didn’t go as planned, then chances are Dennis Smith Jr. didn’t take the leap the Knicks wanted, and if Smith doesn’t do this, the Knicks must select whoever is considered the most talented player in the draft; in this scenario, it is Cole Anthony.
Anthony is a 6-foot-3, athletic, do-it-all point guard headed to North Carolina next season.
Anthony is someone who has true point guard handles, with a nice ratio of lower to upper body strength, great footwork and balance in the paint, a lightning-quick first step, and an efficient shot from long range as well to go with all that. Though to be fair, he does flick his wrist a little harder than he should on long-distance shots sometimes.
Anthony should also project as someone who is an above-average-to-elite defender at the next level as well since he has a nice mixture of athletic ability, strength, and light feet on defense. Not to mention, his combination of floor spacing ability, ball-handling ability, athletic ability, and playmaking ability should make him really hard to stop on the next level and should keep him in the NBA for a long time.
Anthony has few weaknesses as well, which if we’re being honest here, is not something you can really say about any other prospect in this draft class. Although to be fair, if we’re nitpicking here, he certainly does have a tendency to telegraph his passes, or not give his 100 percent on the defensive end, but those are all cons that are easily fixable with the right coaching and guidance.
When scouting these players you have to remember that in the NBA, if the prospect has weaknesses, scouts and players will find it out and, once the players sniff it out, they will exploit those weaknesses on the court. So, with such little weaknesses in Anthony’s game at such a young age, it should be pretty clear why he’s ranked No. 1 at the moment.