With the NBA season coming to a close, and the New York Knicks being eliminated from playoff contention, many fans have turned to the NCAA tournament for their source of basketball entertainment throughout the last few weeks.
During the tournament, many players emerged as potential success stories in the NBA. As the orange and blue make their unfortunate return to the draft lottery, there’ve been lots of theories regarding who we might see the Knicks take, along with which players are realistically likely to fall to the team.
The Kansas Jayhawks were crowned champions and all players entering the draft have officially finalized their opportunities to make a good first impression on the league.
With New York currently projected to be positioned with a low-tier lottery pick, here are three players that have opened a lot of eyes throughout March Madness that could end up wearing orange and blue come next season’s opening tip in October.
Keep in mind, we still don’t know where the Knicks will be selecting in this summer’s draft, so this is all speculation.
3 NCAA Tournament stars the New York Knicks could pick in the 2022 NBA Draft
3: Bennedict Mathurin – Arizona Wildcats
All things considered, Benn Mathurin is the lone reason why Arizona was able to make the Sweet 16 in this year’s tournament.
Late game heroics aside, Mathurin averaged 17.7 points over 37 contests this year. Throughout the season, the Montreal native found himself adjusting more and more to a leadership role as the Wildcats continued to climb the top 25.
If anything has been made clear this season, it’s that the Knicks need a surplus of vocal leaders who can take over a game. As in, someone who can complement the rapidly improving play of RJ Barrett.
After seeing what Mathurin did against TCU, there’s no doubt that he’d be a great fit on basketball’s biggest stage.
While many fans and spectators are considering Immanuel Quickley to be the newfound solution at point guard for New York, it’s hard to deny that it’d be intriguing to watch Mathurin be paired with Quickley to see how their dynamic play styles intertwine.
While, yes, it’d be difficult to find a consistent amount of minutes for Quentin Grimes and Miles McBride with Mathurin’s addition, it’d be a pick worth making if the opportunity presents itself.
With many speculations regarding an Evan Fournier trade and lots of question marks in general regarding who will get minutes at shooting guard next season, it’s become undoubtedly clear that Mathurin needs to head to the Big Apple.
2: Ochai Agbaji – Kansas Jayhawks
If the Knicks have the chance to take the Final Four’s top performer in 2022, it would be a great way to utilize what will likely be a late-round lottery pick. While he’s only six-foot-five, Ochai Agbaji has proven in his six NCAA tournament games that he’s extremely versatile and can play bigger than most guards.
For example, in the round of 32 against Creighton, Agbaji, along with his 15 points, tallied 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block. Additionally, the senior obtained 4 blocks against Providence and 4 steals against Miami.
Nonetheless, while he’s a perimeter shooter, New York wouldn’t have to rely on Agbaji for his shooting and would instead hope that he could cause some chaos for bigs inside the paint.
Guards who can play all over the floor have become rare in the modern-day NBA and with the Knicks being so reliant on shooting, the Kansas City native could serve as a breath of fresh air in Tom Thibodeau’s strict system.
After averaging 18.8 points per game on top of all that, Agbaji has emerged as someone that could be a lottery pick, with the chance to make an immediate impact on an NBA team.
What team could possibly be a better fit for Agbaji than the Knicks? He’d have a coach in Thibodeau that’d utilize his defense to the best of its ability, which would be combined with a talent on the offensive end of the floor that’s impossible to teach. If you asked me, Agbaji would be my number one target.
1: JD Notae – Arkansas Razorbacks
In Arkansas’ trek to the Elite 8, it’s undeniable that JD Notae took the basketball world by storm. After averaging 17.5 points per game throughout the tournament, he was able to establish himself as one of the best pure scorers on the national stage in March.
Despite not being projected to be taken until the second round, I truly believe that Notae is someone who can start his professional career on an NBA roster. Throughout all four of his collegiate seasons, the point guard has been relied on to be the number option and has passed the test with flying colors.
If Leon Rose and the front office decide to use their lone second-rounder on the player from Covington, Ga., they’re selecting someone who can be a great complement to Quickley or anyone else starting at the point guard position next season.
Even if Notae does begin his tenure in Westchester, he’d have the opportunity to thrive in a developmental system that has proven to be elite. It’d allow him to translate his collegiate success to the professional level.
To follow up, Notae isn’t just a scorer. The senior averaged an astounding 2.3 steals per game along with 4 assists. While demonstrating his ability to find bigs inside after getting doubled on a drive, he also confirmed that he’s an absolute pest on defense because he can make the lives of other guards miserable.
Not to beat a dead horse, but Notae and Thibodeau would get along extremely well with their similar idealistic play styles and the way they simply approach a basketball game.
While many basketball fans might just consider Notae to be a popular name going into the draft, he’s definitely worth the gamble if he becomes available to New York in the second round.
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