The New York Knicks head into the 2022 NBA Draft at a crossroads. On one hand, they can trade the pick with the hopes of a Julius Randle resurgence to compete immediately in 2022. On the other hand, they can trade away Randle and use the pick on a high-upside talent that can grow with the young core in the hopes of creating a contender for years to come.
The Knicks haven’t had success with the first path over the past 20 years, as they’ve blown it up several times in hope of a quick answer, so in 2022, most fans completely support the idea of adding to the young core of RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Obi Toppin, Jericho Sims, Cam Reddish, Deuce McBride, and Quentin Grimes.
Ranking the Knicks’ needs leading up to the 2022 NBA Draft
It’s hard to know exactly what the front office is thinking in the weeks leading up to the draft, but given all the rumors regarding their desire to move up and draft Purdue’s Jaden Ivey, it’s safe to say that the front office knows exactly how they want to rebuild this struggling franchise.
Barrett is the key to all of this, as his talent could lead this team for years to come, but if the front office still believes in Randle as the leader of this squad, then we could see them go in an opposite direction.
That, however, is all still speculation, and going off of the idea that New York will be drafting at No. 11 with the current setup, today we are going to take a look at the Knicks’ biggest needs in the draft, and give an example of a player or two that can fill that exact role for this team.