Knicks NBA Draft: 4 Gonzaga prospects the team could select

Knicks Drafts: Could they trade up for Jalen Suggs?

We can dream, right? At the center of Gonzaga’s fantastic season has been their electric point guard, Jalen Suggs. I personally have been a huge Jalen Suggs fan since the start of the season, and he’s gone from a probable top-10 pick to a top-5 lock. Most big boards will have a top-4 of Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Jalen Green, and Jalen Suggs. He may be out of range for The Knicks right now, but as I mentioned earlier, trading up in this draft is a strong possibility.

I believe it’s more likely than not that The Knicks will trade at least one of their picks on draft night. Whether it means a trade for an established NBA veteran or moving up in the draft order, it’s hard to imagine the team bringing in 4 rookies for 2021-22.

Let’s look at Jalen Suggs as a prospect. The 19-year-old freshman is an explosive, multi-talented point guard who checks almost every box of a high-end NBA prospect. Standing 6’5 and weighing 205lbs, Suggs may have well been built in an NBA point guard laboratory. He’s a locomotive getting to the bucket, he’s got a lot of spring that lets him finish above the rim, and he can knock down shots off the dribble. Suggs’ shooting percentages aren’t quite “elite”, (33% from 3, 76% from the line) but paired with his mechanics and projection, he could become a consistent 3-level scorer in the league. His ability to consistently create space and maintain solid form on his shot off of the dribble will translate at the next level.

Suggs is an effective rebounder, defender, and makes some strong reads as a passer. He’s not a Cade Cunningham or LaMelo Ball level of “Gifted” passer, but he’s still very much a willing one. He can make some exceptional cross-court reads. We all know The Knicks need a point guard for the future, so what would it take to land Suggs?

Realistically, The Knicks would be trading up to the #4 spot, perhaps they can put together a package of 3 of their draft picks (Both firsts, the pistons 2nd) and a future first? It’s hard to say, but a package of 3 picks in the 18-40 range along with an additional pick could be a nice haul for the trade partner. The only way I can see this happening is if the team already has a promising young point guard and feels they’d rather build around them and accumulate picks.

The Knicks will have a lot of options in the 2021 draft, and there will be plenty of Gonzaga Bulldogs to choose from. We’ll see how these prospects’ stocks fluctuate as the team prepares for The Final Four.