NBA Mock Draft: Who do the Knicks take at 8th and 27th?

27. New York Knicks, Payton Pritchard, G, Oregon

First, can you believe the New York Knicks are set to make multiple selections in the first round of the draft? We’ve come a long way from the days when the decision-makers at Madison Square Garden rather see a fancy name in the starting lineup instead of draft capital in the cupboard. At least, for a little while.

New York could still end up packaging this pick in a deal to move up or to acquire a veteran player. But assuming they stand still, and following this mock in projecting them to take Isaac Okoro at 8, I think they use this pick to select a guard in Payton Pritchard.

The Oregon product is reportedly one of the prospects in consideration by the New York front office for the 27th pick, per Stefan Bondy. Perhaps the team would be able to nab him later by trading back, but at this point in the draft, it’s anyone’s guess how the last few prospects selected in the first round will land.

In Pritchard, the Knicks would be getting a player who seems to be a perfect for Tom Thibodeau and a team in desperate need of a lead ball-handler who can maintain himself in the NBA as a young player.

The 6-foot-2 guard is known for his hard-nosed style of play. You hear words like “toughness” and “maturity” thrown around when scouts talk about his make-up. I can already hear Leon Rose and Thibodeau preaching the same in the post-draft press conference.

Moving off character superlatives, the key for the Knicks is his shooting ability. He ranked in the 91st percentile for catch-and-shoot proficiency last season, per Synergy tracking data. He is also extremely efficient scoring off the dribble, ranking among the best in the Pac-12 in scoring in transition, isolation, and out of the pick-and-roll.