The New York Knicks will finally get to meet with draft prospects in October, per report.
The NBA will reportedly allow teams to begin hosting in-person interviews with draft prospects as soon as mid-October, per ESPN. This will allow teams, like the New York Knicks, an ability to get to know the players they are targeting in the upcoming draft.
The current scouting season has been unlike any in basketball history. Professional scouts have been limited to interviewing prospects via Zoom and have been unable to invite players to in-person workouts since the coronavirus pandemic shuttered sports leagues across the country in mid-March.
New York is set to make three selections – 8th, 27th, and 38th – in the draft, but so far, they have been preparing in the dark, as several teams continue their season in Orlando, and without the added clarity that comes from meeting prospects face-to-face.
The NBA tentatively expects to allow teams to begin conducting in-person interviews with 2020 draft prospects starting in mid-October, sources tell ESPN. For now, there are still no in-person workouts with prospects allowed by teams.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 11, 2020
The NBA is looking to push back the date of the draft for a second time, from October 16 to November 18, and could move it again depending on how the league and players are able to come to terms on a new salary cap for next season.
Team president Leon Rose has used the added time during the offseason to beef up his scouting department and fill out a new coaching staff with Tom Thibodeau taking the lead reins from interim coach Mike Miller.
Thibodeau will finally get the chance to meet with his new team during voluntary workouts set to begin next week. After a round of individual workouts, the Knicks will be allowed to conduct broader team activities that include practice and intra-squad scrimmages. Several Knicks players are expected to participate, including 2019 lottery pick RJ Barrett.
Unfortunately, with the draft being pushed back, the Knicks will not be able to mix in their new draft picks until the league sets another window for team workouts later in the year.