Looking back at the four best-undrafted talents that the New York Knicks helped put on the map.
The New York Knicks are one of the most iconic franchises in the NBA. They have a storied history and even though they haven’t experienced the most success over the last few decades, the league as a whole is always in a better place when New York is relevant.
As you would expect, the Knicks have churned out some of the biggest and best players the NBA has ever seen. But they’ve also helped jumpstart careers for some of the best underdog stories that the league has to offer.
The unlikelihood of success stories from undrafted players in the NBA
While there have been hundreds of undrafted players that have made a career for themselves in the league, there have only been five that have ever been named an “All-Star.” And one of those players was a product of the Knicks.
Let’s explore the four best-undrafted talents that the Knicks helped put on the map or jumpstart their respective NBA careers.
4. Timofey Mozgov, 2010 (undrafted)
Career achievements: NBA Champion (2016)
In somewhat of a surprise move, the New York Knicks signed Russian center Timofey Mozgov during the summer of 2010. During his rookie season in New York, Mozgov may have only averaged four points and three rebounds per game but he did flash enough on the occasion that suggested he could develop into a rotation player in the NBA.
Unfortunately, Mozgov’s stint in New York didn’t last long as he was included in a blockbuster package that helped the Knicks land Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets. And that’s when Mozgov’s career truly took off.
Mozgov would go on to play eight years in the NBA and averaged 10 points and seven rebounds on 56 percent shooting from the field in 2014-15 during his best season with the Nuggets and Cleveland Cavaliers.
He would also sign a lucrative four-year, $64 million with the Los Angeles Lakers during the summer of 2016.
3. Langston Galloway, 2014 (undrafted)
Career achievements: NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2015)
During the 2014 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks didn’t have a first-round pick. So in an attempt to add young players, they had to use their lone second-round draft pick and/or take a shot on undrafted players. One of the players that the Knicks decided to take a shot on was Langston Galloway, a four-year standout player out of Saint Joseph’s. And he ended up being a worthwhile risk for New York.
During his rookie season in New York, Galloway averaged 12 points, four rebounds, and three assists on 40 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent shooting from three-point range. He played well enough as a rookie that he earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors that season. Galloway only played two seasons in New York before he went off and signed elsewhere but he played in every game during his sophomore season, becoming a key cog for the Knicks during the 2015-16 season.
Galloway would end up playing eight seasons in the NBA before falling out of the league. But you have to credit the Knicks for Galloway. He was a great undrafted find that ended up being a quality player for the team early on in his career.
2. Jeremy Lin, G, 2010 (undrafted)
Career achievements: NBA Champion (2019, Raptors)
How could anyone forget Linsanity (subscription required)? It was an amazing stretch in New York Knicks history that will forever be remembered. After playing 29 games with the Golden State Warriors during the 2010-11 season, Lin signed a deal with the Knicks in 2011. He would appear in a few games here and there but officially took off as a player for the team in February.
And there was a stretch in which Lin (or Linsanity) was absolutely unstoppable. During an 11-game stretch for the Knicks, all through the month of February, Lin averaged 24 points, nine assists, and four rebounds per game on 50 percent shooting from the field and 36 percent shooting from three-point range. The Knicks went 9-2 over that stretch and Linsanity was born.
After being somewhat of a roll-of-the-dice signing, Lin became a well-known name around the league and this stretch would catapult him to signing a huge contract during the offseason with the Houston Rockets. The Knicks decided not to match the contract that Lin inked with the Rockets but his time with the Knicks would be unforgettable.
Lin would go on to have a successful nine-year career in the NBA which included winning a championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019. But it was his time with the Knicks that will ultimately be remembered the most from Lin’s career.
1. John Starks, G, 1998 (undrafted)
Career achievements: NBA All-Star (1994), Second-Team All-Defense (1993), 1997 Sixth Man of the Year
It’s no surprise (or shouldn’t be one) to see John Starks on this list. He is one of the most popular undrafted success stories in NBA history and one of the few undrafted players that would ever go on to make an NBA All-Star team. Starks defied the odds of being an undrafted player and would go on to make an NBA All-Star Game in 1994. He would also win the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1997.
Before blowing up with the New York Knicks, Starks played 36 games with the Golden State Warriors in 1989. But it was a tryout with the Knicks in 1990 that would change the course of his career trajectory. Ultimately, Starks would become a starting shooting guard (for three seasons) for the Knicks. In his best season in New York, Starks averaged 19 points, six assists, and three rebounds on 42 percent shooting from the field.
Starks played 13 seasons in the NBA and eight of them in New York. Starks is one of the best stories in league history and has become one of the greatest Knicks of all time. It goes to show what hard work and perhaps even a little luck can do.
It’s hard to tell the entire story of the 1990s New York Knicks without John Starks.
NBA Mock Draft: Ranking top 10 realistic picks for New York Knicks
NBA Mock Draft: As we inch deeper into the 2023 NBA Draft season, we rank the top 10 realistic draft picks for the New York Knicks.