The New York Knicks have a 2% chance to land the No. 1 overall pick in the draft and a 9.4% chance to land a top four pick. At the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday night, William Wesley will represent the Knicks and hopefully luck will be on his side.
With a high pick, New York could opt to draft guard Jaden Ivey, who could end up being the point guard that fans have been longing for. Or the Knicks could choose players like Jabari Smith Jr., Paolo Banchero, or Chet Holmgren, who could all end up going No. 1 overall.
New York holds the 11th-best odds so as long as the team picks before No. 12, fans should be happy. The Knicks last picked in the top four in 2019 and before that 2015, but before Kristaps Porzingis was drafted No. 4 overall, it had been 30 years since the organization had a top four pick.
The 2022 NBA Draft Lottery presented by State Farm will be held tomorrow night in Chicago.
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 16, 2022
Here is the list of team representatives who will be on stage ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/iP1S07D2wD
William Wesley will represent the New York Knicks at the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery.
Maybe Wesley’s presence will be enough to turn that around but it would’ve been smart for New York to have RJ Barrett represent the team since he went No. 3 overall three years ago, especially since it worked out for the Knicks when Patrick Ewing represented them on-stage in 2019.
New York wasn’t able to land Zion Williamson, who went on to be selected by the New Orleans Pelicans with the No. 1 overall pick that year. But Ewing’s presence resulted in the pick that ended up being Barrett.
It’s Wesley’s turn to try his hand. He was spotted in Dallas for Game 1 of the Mavericks-Jazz series to presumably scout Donovan Mitchell so if he’s able to secure a top 4 pick and successfully recruit Mitchell during the offseason, he might end up going down as a Knicks legend.
He’s known for his connections with players, coaches, and agents which dates back to his days as a consultant with the CAA. Wesley was hired by New York in June of 2020, a few months after Leon Rose was hired, who was also previously with CAA.
It’s almost time for World Wide Wes to work his magic. What will it be? A high draft pick that could result in a player like Smith? Or a pick outside of the top 10 that could result in a player like Bennedict Mathurin? Knicks fans will soon find out.
3 dream prospects Knicks can select with excellent 2022 NBA Draft Lottery result
The 2022 NBA Draft Lottery will take place on May 17 and if the New York Knicks are able to land a top-4 selection, here are 3 players they could draft.