9. Washington Wizards, Onyeka Okongwu, F, USC
Knicks fans are always interested in who is selected after their favorite team picks because those are the players who could later be thrown in their faces as “obvious” misses.
With the 9th pick, the Wizards would be ecstatic to have USC forward Onyeka Okongwu fall into their laps. He very well could be the best big man in the draft. Just because he hasn’t shown an ability to stretch the floor, doesn’t mean he can’t be a valuable big man in the NBA. His quickness and mobility allows him to be an efficient offensive player who projects to be a game-changer on defense.
10. Phoenix Suns, Killian Hayes, G, Ulm
It will be interesting to see if the Suns work out a trade for future Hall-of-Famer Chris Paul, perhaps jumping the Knicks in line to acquire him. Obviously, whether or not they make that trade work will impact this pick. Perhaps they end up trading it in that deal.
But if the Suns are on the board at 10, guard Killian Hayes makes a lot of sense. There is a wide-ranging opinion on where he should be slotted in this draft, with some experts believing he is worthy of a top five pick, and others dropping him to the middle of the first round. Grabbing him at ten is a pretty safe pick.