NY Knicks: 10 examples why NY should NOT trade up in 2021 NBA Draft

NY Knicks Examples #3 and 4 — Matisse Thybulle and Brandon Clarke

Yet again, the 2019 NBA draft provided impressive NBA talent at the Knicks’ current draft range.

At pick #20, the 76ers selected Matisse Thybulle, a fan favorite in Philadelphia. Matisse Thybulle isn’t a player whose stats have popped in the box score, but his defensive abilities alone have been remarkable, earning him valuable minutes on a championship-caliber team.

In limited minutes, Thybulle averaged 1.6 steals per game and 1.1 blocks per game, good for 6th and 21st in the NBA respectively.

At such a young age, Thybulle was constantly tasked with defending the opposing team’s best player, which earned him a spot on the All-NBA Defensive Second Team in his sophomore season.

One pick later, the Memphis Grizzlies drafted Brandon Clarke, a high-motor power forward who has fit the ‘grit and grind’ mold perfectly in Memphis. Over two seasons, Clarke has averaged 11 points and 6 rebounds per game, shooting 57% from the field.

Clarke has been a fantastic rim runner with strong defensive promise, but his offensive skill set has not improved much from year one to year two. However, the athletic big man plays an important off the bench role for the Grizzlies’ young core.

Matisse Thybulle and Brandon Clarke are two players who would fit perfectly with the Knicks’ budding roster. These two guys were viewed as players that could help a team win now right out of the draft (both are 24 in their sophomore seasons) and bring high intensity on the defensive end.

Do those sound like Tom Thibodeau players to you? I think yes.

Ironically enough, Obi Toppin was frequently compared to Brandon Clarke during last year’s draft, as they were both upper-class rim runners with serious shot-blocking potential, although Toppin was thought to have a much better offensive skill set than Clarke.

Thybulle and Clarke would have slid into this year’s Knicks team seamlessly.