NY Knicks Draft: 3 Prospects to Watch during the Sweet 16

NY Knicks: Jared Butler could be a big backcourt addition

Last but not least we have Baylor’s Jared Butler.

Butler is one of three superstar guards on this year’s Baylor Bear basketball team, the other two being Davion Mitchell and MaCio Teague.

Butler is Baylor’s lead scorer who averages 17 points per game to go with 3 rebounds and 5 assists on 42% from beyond the arc.

Butler is a natural on-ball player, though, like Ayayi, he is also comfortable playing off. He can play-make, score, and defend consistently and plays well in big games; notably dominating a highly ranked Kansas team this year with 30 points and 8 assists.

Look, ok: There are definitely a lot of prospects and NBA players who theoretically can do what Butler and a player like Ayayi do. There’s nothing especially flashy nor breathtaking about their games. What separates prospects like Butler is their intelligence, selflessness, and drive. Talent, believe it or not, is not hard to come by in the NBA. It is much rarer — and more precious — to mine talent combined with a consistent, winning mentality.

Given the successes for the Knicks thus far this season, it’s not crazy to start thinking about the longer-term goals of the franchise. It is easy to envision MSG soon becoming an appealing free agent superstar destination and with that will come genuine championship aspirations (at last!) When that day comes, we will need hardworking, smart role players to bolster the roster. That day may not even be that far away, and the time has come for the Knicks front office to start planning as such.

You can catch Jared Butler and Baylor in action on Saturday when they take on Villanova.