3 players Knicks could select with No. 42 pick in 2022 NBA Draft
1: Christian Koloko – Arizona
In case you haven’t heard and didn’t read the beginning of this piece, Robinson could be out the door soon. Given the current state of New York’s roster, that’d leave Sims, Nerlens Noel, and Taj Gibson. Sims could be primed to take over for Robinson, but other than that, there’s no reason to believe that Noel, and even Gibson, will be on the roster in 2022-23.
That opens up the need for another center and Arizona’s Christian Koloko is fresh off his best season at the collegiate level. In 2021-22, the 7’1” big man averaged 12.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 2.8 blocks in 37 games while shooting 63.5% from the field.
With a seven-foot wing span, and similar to Robinson, he’s known for his rim protection. The 21-year-old allowed 0.72 points per post-up possession during his junior year with the Wildcats.
Koloko improved offensively during his third season, but he needs to work on developing a mid-range shot. He’s proven that he can be dominant in the post, which won’t be enough in today’s NBA. Robinson lacks range on the offensive end, so if Koloko can get to the point where he’s comfortable taking outside shots, perhaps Knicks fans wouldn’t miss Robinson as much if he were to leave.
The Douala, Cameroon native didn’t start playing basketball until the age of 12. His game grew tremendously during his time at Arizona and if he’s still on the board when New York prepares to make its second-round selection, he could be making the move to The Big Apple.
Koloko’s college teammate Bennedict Mathurin might be out of the Knicks’ range at No. 11, and if that ends up being the case, the Knicks could still have an opportunity to draft a Wildcat. The potential is undoubtedly there, but it’d be up to New York to find a way to tap into it.
