2: Duke center Mark Williams
Time will tell what New York will do with upcoming free agent Mitchell Robinson, and although I want him to get paid and remain with the team, it’s always good to be prepared for both outcomes.
If Robinson and the Knicks can’t agree on a deal, Duke center Mark Williams would be an awesome young replacement. And if New York does end up selecting him with its draft pick, the idea of him and Jericho Sims sounds like a strong frontcourt for years to come.
Williams is a seven-foot sophomore who’s averaging 10.9 and 7.4 rebounds per game. He also impressively has a 12.1% block rate, which ranks him in the top-15 in all of college basketball.
His game is almost identical to Robinson. They’re both rim protectors who rebound well and score a majority of their points off putbacks or alley-oops. Essentially, Williams could be a “cheaper” Robinson.
It’s no secret that Robinson has faced some injury issues throughout his early NBA career and it almost seems as if he gets banged up every other play, limping and wincing until he jumps up for an alley-oop. It’s honestly very difficult to tell if he’s hurt or not on a nightly basis.
If the Knicks want to go young and continue to develop, while getting Nerlens Noel off the book, Williams could very fall into their lap at the right time.