Latest Mock Draft Selections For The Knicks: What Pundits Predict New York Will Do With Their Two First-Round Picks

We don’t know when the 2020 NBA Draft (initially scheduled for June 25) will take place, and we don’t know if fans will be able to attend the proceedings. However, we do know that at some point in the summer (or maybe the fall?), teams will be able to add young prospects to their roster via the draft. 

So, while we wait for updates about the possible resumption of the 2019-20 season, let’s look at players that will have an opportunity to impact the 2020-21 campaign. 

The Knicks own two first-rounders in the upcoming draft – their own lottery selection and the Clippers pick, via the Marcus Morris trade. Here’s what the latest mocks predict New York to do with those two selections:

* Bleacher Report (Jonathan Wasserman)

Projected Knicks Pick: 6th overall

Player: Cole Anthony, PG, North Carolina – Freshman

As a result of their win over the Hawks in Atlanta last Wednesday, the Knicks currently have a 21-45 record. If no more regular-season games are played, New York will enter the draft lottery with the sixth-worst record in the NBA. Thus, they will have a 9.0% chance of landing the top overall pick, a 9.2% chance at No. 2, 9.4% odds to get No. 3, and 9.6% chance of jumping up to No. 4 overall. The most likely lottery scenario is ending up at No. 7 (29.8%) or No. 8 (20.6%). However, because this is a relatively weak draft, without a clear consensus at the top of the class, landing in the middle of the lottery won’t be viewed as a devastating death blow (as was losing the “Zion Sweepstakes” in 2019). New York will almost certainly target a point guard with their lottery selection, whether it’s inside the top-five or in the 7-8 range. 

The four PG’s most commonly attached to New York are LaMelo Ball, Killian Hayes, Cole Anthony and Tyrese Haliburton. Bleacher Report’s draftnik Wasserman opines: “Assuming new president Leon Rose isn’t as familiar with international scouting, he’s likely to have more of a comfort level drafting a player like Anthony, who’d give the lineup a new franchise point guard and familiar name for the agitated fanbase to get behind… It will be interesting to see how much thought the Knicks give to Killian Hayes, a more natural playmaker than Anthony, but not the same caliber of scorer or shooter. It seems safer to project the Knicks taking the player they’ve presumably had eyes on since midway through high school. Anthony and Barrett could make for a dynamic offensive backcourt.”

Projected Knicks Pick: No. 27

Patrick Williams, F, Florida State – Freshman

The Knicks will undoubtedly have a bevy of potential prospects to consider with the second of their two first-round picks. Rolling the dice on a relatively unproven player with enormous upside such as Williams certainly makes sense. He’s still raw, which isn’t surprising given his age (he won’t celebrate his 19th birthday until August). Although his stats don’t jump off the page, it’s understandable considering he didn’t start a single game for a stacked FSU squad. However, Williams possesses a freakish combination of size (6’8″ with a 7-foot-plus wingspan), quickness and explosive athleticism.

* The Athletic (Sam Vecenie)

Projected Knicks Pick: 2nd overall

Player: LaMelo Ball, G, Illawarra Hawks (NBL)

Per Vecenie, his draft order “was based on team record as of suspension of play. I then ran one lottery simulation on Tankathon.com to mix up the order. Simply put, the odds on the lottery now are so flat across the board that it’s worth exploring different avenues every time we do one of these.” So, the Knicks were fortunate to jump all the way up to No. 2 overall in this simulation.

If the Knicks do land a top-3 pick, it will be fascinating to see what direction they go. Ball does check a lot of boxes for New York. He’s an insanely gifted point guard, with size and vision and scoring ability in spades. Before a foot injury sidelined him in early December, Ball was posting some remarkably impressive stats against pro competition in the NBL. Over his last five appearances with the Hawks, Ball averaged a whopping 23.2 points, 9.4 assists and 9.0 rebounds. In the process, he became the first Australian NBL player in the modern era to post back-to-back triple-doubles. While there are concerns about his maturity, defense, and shot selection, Ball is an undeniably talented scorer and passer. It’s also important to note that Creative Artists Agency reps Ball. And, as we know, Leon Rose was a player agent for CAA, although he wasn’t Ball’s primary representative.

However, it’s fair to wonder how Ball would handle heading to the media capital of the world? How outspoken would his father be if the Knicks struggled? Lonzo Ball was the No. 2 overall pick by the Lakers but struggled through his first two pro seasons in LA, caught up in a myriad of distractions. Lonzo finally enjoyed a breakout season in 2019-20, after he was traded to New Orleans. 

Projected Knicks Pick: No. 27

Player: Nico Mannion, PG, Arizona – Freshman

Mannion’s draft stock has definitely dipped over the past few months, but this would be a tremendous value pick for the Knicks should he slip this far. Although Mannion doesn’t have the same jaw-dropping explosiveness or athleticism as many other first-round prospects, he has NBA size for a PG (6’3″), plays fearlessly, and possesses a terrific feel for the game. His ceiling is somewhat limited, but his floor remains intriguingly high. 

*Sporting News (Chris Stone):

Projected Knicks Pick: 6th overall

Player: Deni Avdija, G, Maccabi Tel Aviv

It would be very surprising if Avdija falls out of the top five. He’s boosted his stock dramatically this winter. Over his last eight games, Avdija averaged 13.8 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting over 53% from the floor and over 48% from downtown. In addition, at 6’8″ and still growing, he’s also shown some chops on the defensive end. Most mocks have him off the board with the second or third overall pick. If he landed in the Knicks lap at six, it’s hard to imagine New York passing him up.  

Projected Knicks Pick: No. 27

Player: Jahmi’us Ramsey, SG, Texas Tech – Freshman

Ramsey may not fit a position of need for the Knicks, but at this late juncture of the first round, teams often go with the “best player available.” Although Ramsey showed plenty of promise throughout much of his freshman campaign, he closed out the Big 12 regular season mired in a terrible slump. Over the Red Raiders’ final four games, he averaged 8.0 points and 2.8 assists in 30.3 minutes, while shooting just 27.5% from the field. In the finale, a loss to No. 1 Kansas, Ramsey tallied six points, one rebound and two assists in 30 minutes. Unfortunately, that may leave a bad taste in scouts’ mouths, as he won’t have the Big 12 or NCAA Tourney to redeem himself. 

* ESPN (Jonathan Givony):

Projected Knicks Pick: 4th overall

Player: LaMelo Ball, G, Illawarra Hawks (NBL)

The most recent ESPN Mock draft is a month old at this point, so it has New York drafting fourth. Again, it would be incredibly interesting to see Ball land in NYC. Many Knicks fans are already clamoring for him. A backcourt tandem of Ball and RJ Barrett would undoubtedly make headlines, produce plenty of highlights, and make the Knicks a hot ticket in New York in 2020-21. 

Projected Knicks Pick: No. 26

Player: Jahmi’us Ramsey, SG, Texas Tech – Freshman

As noted above, Ramsey ended his college career on a down note, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t highlights. For instance, over an eight-game stretch from late January to late February, Ramsey averaged 18.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.8 dimes, 1.3 steals, 1.0 blocks and 2.9 made 3-pointers, while shooting a scorching 50.5% from the floor and 54.8% from behind the arc.  

* Forbes (Tommy Beer)

Projected Knicks Pick: 6th overall

Player: Cole Anthony, PG, North Carolina – Freshman

In my latest mock, I had the Knicks bringing Anthony, a New York native and the son of former Knick Greg Anthony, back home. When the mock was completed, Anthony was in the midst of a hot streak, having averaged 22.6 points (on 52% shooting), 5.4 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 3.4 treys over a five-game stretch. However, matched up with Tre Jones in the regular-season finale at Duke, Anthony scored just nine points on 4-of-14 shooting. Then, over two games in the ACC tournament, Anthony scored a total of 15 points on 5-of-20 shooting.

Projected Knicks Pick: No. 27

Vernon Carey Jr., C, Duke – Freshman

The Knicks view Mitchell Robinson as their “center of the future,” but Carey may be too tempting to pass up this late in the draft. Carey was a top-five recruit coming out of high school and lived up to expectations at Duke. As the runaway pick for ACC Rookie of the Year, he averaged 17.8 points (on 57.7% shooting) and 8.8 rebounds. Only two other freshmen in ACC history matched or exceeded those numbers (Zion Williamson and Marvin Bagley). In his final NCAA contest, he exploded for 25 points (8-of-14 FGs and 9-of-11 FTs) and ten boards in a victory over UNC. Some talent evaluators worry that his traditional back-to-the-basket game won’t translate well on the next level, but Carey has more fluidity than expected, and he knocked down eight of the 21 three-pointers he attempted this season.