Knicks fans shift attention to March Madness and Purdue’s star point guard
By James Ryder
They say that New York City is “The City That Never Sleeps.” It’s fitting then that the New York Knicks chatter also seems to never rest. One of the biggest conversations in Knicks’ social media spheres lately has revolved around Jaden Ivey, the sophomore guard who has turned several heads this year with his impressive play at Purdue.
As always, New York is in desperate need of a point guard, so many fans are dreaming of a scenario in which Ivey can be drafted by the Knicks this summer.
It’s important to first acknowledge that the season isn’t over quite yet. Whether or not you think that the playoffs are something that the Knicks should have their focus on, they’re five games out of making the play-in tournament with 14 games left and are clearly still trying to win.
They may have gone from “bing bong” to ping pong but New York’s in no way guaranteed to be in a position to select Ivey, especially if the team makes it beyond the play-in tournament.
Regardless, that won’t stop all of our eyes from continuing to be on Ivey and Purdue, especially since March Madness is about to officially begin.
This was a big-time sequence. 💯#B1Gtourney x @BoilerBall pic.twitter.com/RVWLckmHQF
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 12, 2022
Will the New York Knicks be able to draft Purdue point guard Jaden Ivey?
So, what can we expect from Ivey on college basketball’s biggest stage? Let’s first look at his statistics.
As I mentioned, Ivey is having a great season and is expected to be drafted as high as third overall. This is because he’s helped lead the Boilermakers to a 27-8 record, which is the third-best in the Big Ten.
Purdue only trails Wisconsin (24-7) and Illinois (22-9) in their conference. The Boilermakers actually have the most wins in the Big Ten (tied with Iowa), along with a 16-1 home record and a 14-6 conference record.
Clearly, this team has high hopes of being successful heading into the tournament. They should be confident considering they’ll be one of the top teams from a Big Ten conference that will have the most teams representing it (nine).
What numbers is Ivey producing that has his team so poised? Ivey’s averaging 17.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 46.2% from the field, 35.6% from three, and 73.5% from the free-throw line.
As the intensity grows throughout the tournament, it’s important that we see Ivey produce similar numbers that contribute to competitive contests. Ivey wasn’t expected to be such a high prospect coming into this year.
Opponents will undoubtedly look to neutralize him, so I look forward to seeing how he handles an elevated stage and bright lights, which are both staples of playing for the Knicks.
What makes Ivey so sought after and simply awesome to watch is his athleticism. Many NBA fans, including New York’s faithful, have compared Ivey to Ja Morant.
This could just be because Morant is currently ascending to superstardom so fans see an athletic guard and automatically link the two.
As far as Knicks fans go, I’m sure many of them are just hoping to live vicariously through Ivey and are dreaming of him playing in Madison Square Garden because they resent the fact that New York missed out on drafting Morant back in 2019.
Either way, there are justifiable reasons to compare the two players. Both Ivey and Morant made their surprising leaps to greatness in their second year of college. Both excel at attacking the rim, are willing passers and can score adequately at all three levels.
However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Morant has proven to be an outlier, even for a No. 2 overall pick in the NBA draft. We should all watch Ivey by seeing him as his own talent and appreciate him for what he has to offer.
Purdue’s the No. 3 seed in the East region for the tournament and will face No. 14 Yale on Friday, Mar. 18. Even if the Boilermakers were to be upset, I think we’ll still get exciting play from Ivey in March Madness. He’s such a fun player and the Knicks would be very lucky to have him to start next season.
New York fans will be tuned in and I hope that the team’s front office will be as well. We should all be watching and with our fingers and toes crossed.
