3 Sweet Sixteen draft prospects Knicks should monitor
By Mark Wessol
1: Arizona guard Bennedict Mathurin
I may not have a crystal ball to tell me what draft picks the Knicks will be able to land, but if Arizona’s Bennedict “Benn” Mathurin is on the board, I’d be strongly disappointed if New York didn’t take him.
Mathurin is a gifted athletic guard who already has the size, strength, and confidence to excel in the NBA.
If you missed his performance on Sunday night against TCU, please do yourself a favor and watch the highlights on YouTube. He went OFF with big shot after big shot and rebound after rebound. The 19-year-old wasn’t going to let his team lose and it certainly impressed me.
The Canadian-born Mathurin has averaged 17.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game this season for the Wildcats and was recently named Pac-12 Player of the Year. The national exposure he’s gotten could easily shoot him up on draft boards and will make it tough for teams to pass on him.
He’s shown that he has that clutch gene and isn’t afraid of the big moment and because of that, he’s easily become my favorite prospect in the 2022 draft class.
He may not fill New York’s biggest hole, which is finding a point guard, but this kid looks to be special. When he has the ball in his hand, expect him to do something breathtaking.
With some uncertainty surrounding Kemba Walker, Alec Burks, and Cam Reddish, the Knicks would be foolish to not try and find a way to get Mathurin to New York City.
