NY Knicks: 3 prospects NY should NOT trade up for in 2021 NBA Draft

The NY Knicks should NOT trade up for Davion Mitchell whatsoever

Well…this one’s a little embarrassing and may come as a bit of a surprise to those who actually read my articles.

I was once very high on Davion Mitchell, so high I wanted the Knicks to trade up to snag him, and while I’d still be happy with him taken at one of picks 19 or 21, trading up for him would be an awful idea.

“But Bradley, Davion Mitchell is a point guard…and the Knicks need a point guard.”

“But Davion Mitchell is arguably the best defensive player in the class.”

“But Davion is a proven winner and lead Baylor to a National Title win this past season.”

This is all true, but the college game and the big leagues are two entirely different beasts…ask Jimmer Fredette and Tim Tebow.

Mitchell may very well be a stud from day one, but I just can’t wrap my head around him being a lottery pick due to his shortcomings.

He was originally listed at 6-foot-2 at Baylor but was downgraded to just 6-foot at the NBA Combine.

Unlike Sharife Cooper, Mitchell has some size to him weighing in at over 200lbs, so I’m not too concerned with him getting overpowered at the next level.

What I am concerned about are some of the things that teams like the Knicks need out of their point guard position.

He’s not the best pick-and-roll facilitator. He likes to drive but has always been a below-average free-throw shooter.

And even though he shot nearly 45% from 3-point range this past season, it seems to have been a bit of an outlier and may have more to do with benefiting from no crowds due to covid, because he’d never shot higher than around 32% from deep in a normal collegiate setting.

He’ll also be 23 years old by the time he first steps foot on an NBA floor, so I question his ceiling greatly.

You don’t trade a bunch of picks for a guy who may not get a lot better over time. You trade up for greater upside.

Again, if he found his way all the way down at 19, I think the front office would be foolish to not grab Davion.

But in a trade-up scenario, the Knicks are more likely to be losers than winners.