NY Knicks – Draft prospects with pick #58: Juhann Begarin
Player comp: Lonnie Walker lV
The first player the NY Knicks could target is the violently athletic combo guard who has an ideal basketball body at 6’5, Begarin may have as much NBA experience as my mother, but the raw talent he brings to the table is worth a look at the bottom end of the draft. Is he a bit of a project? Yeah, but who knows?
Still working on learning the game, the footage of Begarin is breathtaking. A French native, Begarin’s game film from overseas is like watching Will Smith’s basketball scenes in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. He just runs faster, hits harder, and jumps higher than everyone else around him. The rims look 9-feet tall, his opponents look 5 feet tall, his opponents look 5 feet tall, his opponents look 5 feet- oh wait.
The videos make this guy look like the love child of Michael Jordan and Russell Westbrook, but before we get too excited let’s remember that he’s beating up on old, never-has-beens, in the French local leagues.
Like many young, uber-athletic guards, it sometimes looks like Begarin’s feet are going faster than his brain can keep up with, but if you’re an NBA team looking for a spark plug rookie, look no further.
He loves to rush on the break, which can help mesh with the mobile, young, bench squad the Knicks are putting together. He has the ideal frame for NBA defense, although often erratic on that end. Basically, he’s a project, but one that can pay off big if things fall into place.
A cheap second-round prospect with the natural gifts of Begarin is never a bad idea. Whether he can make good on his powers is still unknown, but he has them, let’s see how they pan out.