NY Knicks Draft: A Scout and non-believer talk 2nd round sleepers

NY Knicks: 2nd round pick can make a big impact

For this final installment, we could’ve easily discussed another candidate at 19, and it would’ve been plenty fun. In a draft this good, who knows? You could be getting an All-Star at 19. You could be getting a plug-and-play starter. You could be getting a vital contributor to a future NY Knicks championship run. But Leon likes to be aggressive, and we’ve seen all the rumors, so we know it’s at least possible those first-rounders could be on the move.

Which means the second-rounders become really, really important.

As mentioned above, I’ve been zeroed in on the shooting, so when thinking about 32 and 58, I’ve been most intrigued by guys like Quentin Grimes (who just worked out for NY and may have played his way beyond the Knicks’ grasp), Joe Wieskamp, Isaiah Livers, Sam Hauser, and others. But perhaps I’m approaching this the wrong way. I mean:

1. As alluded to earlier, the Knicks need more than just shot-makers.
2. There are plenty of ways to add shooting.

The draft, of course. Undrafted FAs. Veteran FAs. Trades. Or they could simply do what they did last year and just develop shooters.

It almost sounds like a joke. Sureeee, just teach guys who’ve played ball their entire lives and never figured it out how to become NBA-caliber snipers. Easy! Why has no one else thought to do this?  Well, I can’t speak for everyone else, but that’s literally what the 2020-21 Knicks did! Randle and Barrett with meteoric, miraculous rises; Bullock resurrected; Ntilikina and Knox with the best percentages of their young careers…

The point is this: if you love Player A as a prospect in every way besides shooting, and you don’t believe the shot’s broken beyond repair, and you’re confident in your program and its ability to produce results, you CANNOT pass on him.

I can’t stop thinking about this one thing Stewart said: “Second rounders that truly hit are far and few between, and these players who meet athletic thresholds, defend multiple positions, and can do more than solely shoot are propositions I’d like to invest in.”

At the 2019 Sloan Conference, Warriors GM Bob Myers spoke in a way that seems to align perfectly with this approach. First, when talking specifically about shooters: “We’ve played some great shooters in the playoffs and have neutralized them, because if that’s all you can do…you’re not necessarily the weapon we make you out to be in the regular season.” So yes, the Knicks could use the second round to try to find the next Reggie Bullock, and if they succeeded that’d be pretty good. But what if they could do better than pretty good? What if they could find and develop a guy who won’t be neutralized in the playoffs when scouting/game-planning improves and defense tightens up and nerves are at all-time highs?

What if instead of finding a shooter, they could find a basketball player who can make shots? “The more dimensions you have to your game,” said Myers, “the harder you are to take away…so we can’t get too caught up in, ‘Let’s have four shooters.’ Okay, well, what if those guys can’t do anything else?”

Which is why, perhaps, Stewart’s way is the way to use that 32nd pick, whether the firsts are moved or not. Don’t focus on specialists, even if it’s the most important specialty in the game today. Instead, invest in the most multi-dimensional guys left on your board, the guys that do everything else your organization values. Ball-handling. IQ. Defensive tenacity and versatility. Rebounding.

It’s probably impossible to teach a specialist to do all those things, but teach the well-rounded guy to shoot at even a league-average clip, and you’ve got a stud. If the wager’s only a measly second-rounder, I’m taking that bet all day every day.

Huge thanks again to Stewart Zahn for his time and insight. I strongly encourage you to click the linked names in this article for his in-depth scouting reports on each player. For more great draft coverage from Stewart and others, check out rollcallsportsnet.com.