The New York Knicks are interviewing 2020 NBA Draft prospects.
Seton Hall point guard and New Jersey native Myles Powell has interviewed with the New York Knicks over Zoom, according to Adam Zagoria. He has interviewed with 10-12 teams as he hopes to be selected in the upcoming NBA Draft.
The Knicks have two first round picks, one in the lottery and another in the late first round, depending on where the Clippers finish this season. They also have Charlotte’s early second round pick.
Myles Powell is mocked to be a mid-to-late second round pick, if he makes the cut.
Powell is a fringe NBA prospect who hopes to be selected in the second round. It’s impossible to project how players will rise and fall in this year’s draft due to the uncertainty created from an abbreviated scouting season and the inability of teams to hold formal workouts in the same way they would have under normal conditions.
Powell averaged 21 points per game during his senior season in the Big East where he was named the 2020 Player of the Year. He takes a lot of three-point shots, averaging 9.2 attempts last season, but saw his efficiency decline from 36.3% during his junior year to 30.6% in his senior campaign.
To get a better idea on his game, I talked to draft expert Spencer Pearlman from The Stepien.
"“I’m not a huge fan, to be honest,” Pearlman told me. “He’s a one position defender who isn’t a great athlete, not a good defender, not a good finisher, needs to work on shot selection, and isn’t a good passer (though he has made improvements over the last year and has made some quicker decisions when the defense got to him). On the flip side, he’s a better shooter than the numbers indicate, can shoot from very deep range with a quick trigger, has movement and self-creation ability, and he can get hot very quickly.”"
So can Powell make the leap to the NBA?
"“The transition for him will be him moving from a primary scoring option to an ancillary scoring option, needing to play next to a primary creator,” Pearlman said. “When that happens, shot selection should improve (and with that, percentages would go up), the defense wouldn’t focus on him the same way they did at Seton Hall which would create some better looks potentially, and he could put more effort/energy onto the defense. The issue really is that he’s really a shooting/scoring G who is a one position defender. Guys like that are hard to find ways to fit into “normal” lineups, meaning lineups without guys like Luka, LeBron, Giannis, etc.”"
It is no secret the Knicks are looking for point guard help in the draft; however, they probably hope they can fill that need in the lottery with LaMelo Ball ranked as the top point guard on their draft board.
Knicks Draft: Pre-lottery mock of every possible New York pick
As we wait to learn where the New York Knicks will pick in the 2020 NBA draft, let's consider the options.
Recent-hire Walt Perrin will take a lead role in preparing for the draft. Based on public information, we know the team has also interviewed Louisville forward Jordan Nwora and Arizona star Zeke Nnaji.