New York Knicks: 2017 NBA Draft Lottery odds
Heading into the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery, here’s a look at what to expect for the New York Knicks, who finished tied for the league’s sixth-worst record.
The unfortunate streak of losing seasons has hit four for the New York Knicks as they enter the 2017 NBA Draft lottery with hopes of turning the franchise around. This year’s lottery already is off to a rough start, as the 31-51 Knicks lost the lottery tiebreaker to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who finished the 2016-17 campaign with an identical record.
This past season was filled with plenty embarrassing moments for Knicks fans as conflicts between star player Carmelo Anthony and team president Phil Jackson dominated the headlines. Anthony spent most of the season on the trading block while the franchise struggled to keep starting center Joakim Noah healthy and on the court. Distractions such as the altercation between team legend Charles Oakley and Madison Square Garden security were all catalyst to yet another disappointing season.
Approaching the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery, the Knicks have a 5.3 percent chance of securing the No. 1 overall pick and a 18.3 percent chance of landing a top-three pick. Due to the tiebreaker loss to Minnesota, New York’s best chances would be at the No. 7 spot at 57.2 percent. Here’s a breakdown of their odds for each pick:
- 1st: 5.3%
- 2nd: 6.0%
- 3rd: 7.0%
- 7th: 57.2%
- 8th: 22.6%
- 9th: 1.8%
- 10th: 0.0%
New York has some signs of optimism as both rookies from the 2015 NBA Draft Willy Hernangomez and Kristaps Porzingis showcased plenty of promise on the team’s frontcourt. The duo earned a trip to New Orleans for All-Star weekend representing the club in the annual Rising Stars game while Porzingis brought home the Skills Challenge title.
The team’s rookies from this past season were led by undrafted free agents Ron Baker and Mindaugas Kuzminskas. Baker served as a very reliable option off of head coach Jeff Hornacek‘s bench, eventually taking over the starting point guard role after veteran Derrick Rose was lost for the season with a knee injury. As good as Baker was this past season, it is very evident that the Knicks will look to the draft for a dynamic young guard to possibly take over for Rose if he decides not to re-sign this off season.
The draft is stacked with talented guards that can help the Knicks regardless of where they fall in the lottery. A player that has been receiving the most attention of late is Kentucky guard De’Aaron Fox, who is personally excited with the possibility of playing with Porzingis and learning the triangle offense.
De'Aaron Fox talks about possibly playing with Kristaps Porzingis & #Knicks at @NBADraft combine pic.twitter.com/0NSIyyd1ae
— Ed Easton Jr. (@EdEastonJr) May 14, 2017
The Knicks are projected to get the No. 7 selection in the draft, just like in 2002 when they selected Nene before trading him to the Denver Nuggets for Antonio McDyess. In the possible case the Knicks pick eighth, they have selected a pair of Arizona Wildcats in the past with Channing Frye (2003) and Jordan Hill (2009).
The No. 6 pick isn’t too far out of reach as the Knicks used that spot in 2008 to grab Danilo Gallinari, who served as the featured player in the franchise’s acquisition of Carmelo Anthony three years later.
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Before the Knicks can start thinking about draft options, they will need to see where the ping pong balls land, with the 2017 NBA Draft lottery set to take place Tuesday night in New York.