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New York Knicks: 3 NBA draft prospects worth trading down for

By Jeffrey Bellone

FAYETTEVILLE, AR - MARCH 9: Kira Lewis Jr. #2 of the Alabama Crimson Tide dribbles down the court during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena on March 9, 2019 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks defeated the Crimson Tide 82-70. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
FAYETTEVILLE, AR - MARCH 9: Kira Lewis Jr. #2 of the Alabama Crimson Tide dribbles down the court during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena on March 9, 2019 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks defeated the Crimson Tide 82-70. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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FAYETTEVILLE, AR – MARCH 9: Kira Lewis Jr. #2 of the Alabama Crimson Tide looks over the offense during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena on March 9, 2019 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks defeated the Crimson Tide 82-70. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

3) Potential trade down target for the Knicks: Kira Lewis, Jr.

When listing the top point guards in the 2020 NBA Draft, there are usually 4-5 names (Ball, Anthony, Hayes, Haliburton) who are mentioned before Alabama’s Kira Lewis, Jr, but that doesn’t mean the speedy guard doesn’t have great potential.

The Knicks could look to trade up in the draft – at cost – to find their point guard solution, or they could trade back, gain additional assets, and select Lewis Jr. as a safe pick in the first round.

The gap between the third best guard in this class and the sixth best guard might not be very big. Different scouts around the league would rank the top players in a variety of orders. Why not consider trading back when the marginal difference between the player you can get at eight versus later in the first round might not be that wide?

The 6-foot-3 guard is coming off a strong sophomore season in the SEC where he averaged 18.5 points on 45.9 percent shooting, including 36.6 percent from three on 4.9 attempts per game. His greatest strength is using his speed in transition where he scored 1.132 points per possession, per Synergy. But that doesn’t mean he can’t score in the half court: for a ball-handler, he is also an effective spot-up shooter.

With RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson excelling in the open court, a speedy initiator like Kira Lewis Jr. could make for a fun offense at Madison Square Garden for seasons to come.

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