NY Knicks: Ranking all 4 NY 2021 Draft picks based off value
NY Knicks 34th Overall Selection – Rokas Jokubaitis ranks #3
When the Knicks traded down from the 32nd pick and picked up the 34th and 36th selections, I had an idea of who they may have had in mind and it wasn’t Rokas Jokubaitis.
I knew the front office and Coach Thibs were very high on a different point guard that was still available at that point, so them taking Rokas at 34 speaks volumes towards what they think of this guy.
Leaving another guard whom the team was thought to be very high on, on the board, could have been a risky move.
Low and behold, that guard was still there at pick 36, so crisis averted…but I digress.
Considering Rokas isn’t going to play in the NBA this season. as he just signed a 5-year contract with FC Barcelona, so this is clearly a draft-and-stash scenario.
I’m not personally as high on Rokas, but some mock drafts like The Athletic’s and SportingNews‘ had him going as high as 29th.
Other notable mocks had him going in the mid-40’s range but primarily due to the fact that he wouldn’t be eligible to play stateside this season.
My colleague here at Daily Knicks, Adam Kester had this to say regarding Rokas:
"He’s an adept passer and has nice touch on his shot. It remains to be seen just how elite of a scorer he can become, but there are a lot of qualities in his scoring that can make you fall in love. There’s the soft touch, but he’s also a pretty fearless attacker of the rim — something Thibs loves. It’s going to be interesting to see how he does this upcoming season, his first with FC Barcelona. He still needs to add strength. The Spanish league is no joke and has produced some amazing NBA talent, so it’s going to be a test for him."
I think that there are too many moving parts involved with Rokas ever finding his way to actually playing for the Knicks, so I see him as more of a trade piece for later on down the line.
He could very well be the next Goran Dragic and could be a very solid option at the point for the Knicks in a few years.
But for now, I like a few of the other guys they drafted a bit better…