NY Knicks: Should they take Cameron Thomas on draft night?

Why the NY Knicks should not draft Cam Thomas

Most of the time, a great offensive player lacks something on the defensive end.

Unfortunately, that seems to be the case with Cam Thomas.

He showed flashes of lateral quickness and getting into passing lanes but overall was not viewed as anything more than an average defender.

Part of that comes from the fact LSU ran a high-powered offense that looked very disinterested on the defensive end, but Thomas didn’t prove enough to dispel that notion.

I do believe Thibodeau can improve lackluster defenders, after seeing Toppin play significant minutes as a defensive liability, but Cam Thomas will have to put the work in.

His shooting splits were average in college, 40.6% from the field and 32.5% from deep.

He was only good for 1.4 assists per game, a low number for a guy that had the ball in his hands a lot of the time and especially for how many times the Tigers put the ball up.

Draft analysts have forecast him as a Jordan Clarkson or Lou Williams-esque scorer, with greater upside potential if he is determined to improve his playmaking and defense.

Not too bad for a team that will desperately need scoring help.

The point guard situation needs to be resolved next year, but pairing up such a solid shot creator in Cam Thomas with a pass-first point guard either through the draft or free agency, would give the Knicks a solid young backcourt on a developing roster.

All this to say the NY Knicks should take a long look at Cameron Thomas and hope his scoring ability can lead him to become a top-tier shooting guard for years to come.