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NBA Draft Grades 2022: Re-grading Knicks’ pick one year later

By Jordanna Clark

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 04: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Buddy Boeheim #27 of the Detroit Pistons in action against Trevor Keels #3 of the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on October 04, 2022 in New York City. The Knicks defeated the Pistons 117-96. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 04: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Buddy Boeheim #27 of the Detroit Pistons in action against Trevor Keels #3 of the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on October 04, 2022 in New York City. The Knicks defeated the Pistons 117-96. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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Now that a new NBA champion has been crowned, attention has been shifted to the draft. The New York Knicks don’t have a pick in the draft after trading a first-round pick to the Trail Blazers as part of the Josh Hart deal and missing out on the Mavericks’ top-10 protected pick from the Kristaps Porzingis trade.

Unless the Knicks make a trade into the draft, New York will be one of three teams to not have a selection at Barclays Center on June 22. After a whirlwind 2022 draft that ended with the Knicks not taking a player with their No. 11 pick, fans should be able to enjoy a more relaxing draft night this year.

A year ago, New York did select Trevor Keels out of Duke with the No. 42 overall pick. Fans didn’t get to see much of Keels at MSG, which was expected especially given Tom Thibodeau’s reliance on his veterans. The six-foot-four guard was drafted at the age of 18 and will enter the 2023-24 season as a 20-year-old, so he’s a player that should be around for years to come.

Re-grading the New York Knicks’ No. 42 pick Trevor Keels in the 2022 NBA Draft

Trevor Keels spent the majority of the 2022-23 season in Westchester on a two-way contract, playing in only three games for New York. On the big stage, he averaged only 1.0 points and 0.7 rebounds in an average of 2.7 minutes, so analyzing his rookie performance for the Knicks is impossible given the small sample size.

In the G League, Keels averaged 14.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.0 steals while shooting 42.5% from the field and 35.5% from three. He was consistently one of the team’s best players.

Second-round picks are always a gamble, and it’s still far too soon to say that the Knicks were wrong in selecting Keels at No. 42. After he was selected last June, New York was given an ‘A’ grade. In terms of re-grading the pick based on how his first full season played out, a ‘B’ seems to be a sufficient grade.

The next chance that fans will have to see Keels will likely be at Summer League. Last year the Knicks were headlined by Quentin Grimes and Jericho Sims, but both of those players won’t be back for a third year. July could be Trevor Keels’ time to shine.

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