As one of the most storied franchises in the history of the NBA, the New York Knicks have had their fair share of successes and failures in the NBA Draft. Some of the team’s greatest ever players were selected in the NBA draft before going on to have Hall of Fame careers in New York. The Knicks have proven how a single draft selection can completely turn the course of a franchise, legends like Willis Reed, Walt Frazier and Patrick Ewing were all drafted by the Knicks and became franchise legends. For every success the team has had, they have also experienced a number of draft busts that have set the franchise back by years. Here’s a look at the five best and worst draft picks in the history of the New York Knicks.
Best
In the 1978 NBA Draft the New York Knicks selected talented Montana guard Micheal Ray Richardson with the fourth overall selection. Richardson would make an immediate impact on the NBA and in his first four years in the league, which he spent in New York. He represented the team in three All-Star games. In the 1979-80 season he would go on to lead the league in both assists per game (10.1) and steals (3.2) while also posting 15.3 points per game. Richardson was a tenacious defender and as a Knick he appeared on the All-NBA defensive first team on two occasions. While Richardson would only play in New York for four seasons, he not only had an immediate impact but his departure from the team also allowed the team to acquire a New York icon. In 1982, Richardson was traded for Hall of Famer Bernard King, who would himself go on to appear in two All-Star Games for New York.
Richie Guerin was a second-round draft selection (17th overall) of the New York Knicks in the 1954 NBA Draft. Guerin, who was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame this year, would play more than seven seasons for the Knicks and carved out a tremendous career. He would go on to appear in six All-Star Games for the Knicks and appeared on the All-NBA second team three times. While in New York, Guerin would average more than 20 points, six assists and six rebounds per game. He peaked in the 1961-62 season with 29.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game. Guerin played the best basketball of his career in New York and he would never regain his All-Star form after his trade to the St. Louis Hawks.
3. Willis Reed
Willis Reed, “The Captain,” joined New York as the eighth pick in the 1964 draft and would go on to become one of the franchise’s greatest stars. He spent his entire 10-year career with the Knicks and averaged 18.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Reed would go on to win two Finals MVP awards as the Knicks won both the 1969-70 and 1972-73 NBA championships. He was a seven time All-Star and appeared on five All-NBA teams. Reed appeared in 78 playoff games for the Knicks but he will long be remembered for what was voted the “greatest moment in the history of Madison Square Garden” when an injured Reed would surprise the crowd by playing in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals.
Walt Frazier was picked fifth overall by the Knicks in 1967 and went on to be the floor leader for New York’s two championship teams in 1970 and 1973.
2. Walt Frazier
Walt “Clyde” Frazier was drafted by the Knicks as the fifth pick in the 1967 draft and would go on to have perhaps the most decorated career in franchise history. Frazier would go on to play 10 seasons with the Knicks and appear in 93 playoff games for the team. Frazier is a two-time NBA champion, a seven-time All-Star, had seven appearances on the All-Defensive First team and was on the All-NBA First Team on four occasions. Frazier had six seasons where he averaged more than 20 points per game for the Knicks and would go on to average 18.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists for his career. In the playoffs for the Knicks, he would always raise his game to another level. In the postseason he would average more than 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists. He sealed the 1970 NBA championship with 36 points and 18 assists in the deciding Game 7 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
1. Patrick Ewing
One of the biggest moments in the history of the New York Knicks was the night of the NBA Draft Lottery in 1985. Big man Patrick Ewing was the consensus No 1 pick and the city of New York celebrated as the team won the lottery and the right to select Ewing with the top overall selection. Ewing would go on to anchor the Knicks for 15 seasons and played more than 1,000 games for the franchise. Over the course of his career, Ewing averaged 21 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 1.9 assists while shooting better than 50 percent from the field. Ewing was the 1985-86 Rookie of the Year, played in nine All-Star Games and appeared in numerous All-NBA and All-Defensive teams over the course of his illustrious career. He played in 135 playoff games for the Knicks and averaged more than 20 points and 10 boards in the postseason. He is the franchise leader in points, steals, blocked shots and rebounds. Ewing gave the Knicks tremendous consistency, longevity and just edges out the legends of Frazier and Reed as the best draft pick in franchise history.
Patrick Ewing, shown on a 1986 Fleer card, was the first overall pick by the Knicks in 1985 and went on to become the franchise’s all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocked shots and steals.
The Worst
5. Kenny Walker
In the 1986 NBA Draft, the Knicks had the fifth overall pick and had high hopes of finding a star with their top pick. They would go on to select Kenny Walker, whose career highlight likely came when he won the 1989 NBA Dunk Contest. Walker would play five seasons for the Knicks before leaving to play in Spain. With career averages of just seven points and four rebounds, Walker was unable to live up to the hype of his high selection and the pressure of playing in New York.
4. Gene Short
With the seventh pick in the 1975 NBA Draft, the Knicks would select small forward Gene Short out of Jackson State University. Short was traded just months later to the Seattle SuperSonics before he played a game for the Knicks. After just seven games for the Sonics, Short was waived and the Knicks picked him up for the remainder of the season. Short played just 34 games in his NBA career and there were 18 players drafted after him that would go on to play more than 200 games in the league.
3. Larry Demic
Larry Demic, a 6’9” forward, was selected by the Knicks with the ninth pick in the 1979 NBA Draft. Demic would play just three seasons in the NBA, averaging 4.7 points and 3.9 rebounds. He went on to play in the CBA for the Detroit Spirits before finishing his career in Puerto Rico. Cliff Robinson, Jim Paxson and numerous other players who went on to carve out long careers were selected after Demic in the ’79 draft.
In the loaded 2003 draft class that produced a number of franchise changing superstars, the Knicks had the ninth overall pick and selected big man Michael Sweetney. Sweetney would play just four seasons in the NBA with career averages of 6.5 points and 4.5 rebounds. Sweetney, who battled with his weight entering the league, was unable to stay in shape and had to venture overseas to continue playing professionally.
1. Frederic Weis
In 1999 the Knicks used the 15th selection to take French big man Frederic Weis. Weis never played a game in the NBA and is most famous for being the prop in Vince Carter’s highlight reel dunk in the 2000 Olympic Games.