New York Knicks: Trading down may be their only way up
By Eric Snyder
Pointing to a Guard
Drafting Justin Jackson would provide immediate scoring and the kind of long arms that disrupt passing lanes. Jackson guarded Malik Monk, an elite scorer, most of their Elite Eight battle and more than held his own.
Once Carmelo Anthony is gone, Jackson will fit perfectly in the small forward position and could even provide matchup issues as a tall shooting guard.
Currently, DraftExpress has Jackson going in the 14th slot to the Miami Heat. The Knicks could conceivably trade down a few slots and still use their remaining draft and bench assets to secure a late first-round pick.
Draft night for teams outside the top five is like dancing on razor blade: one wrong move and there will be blood. If the Knicks can master this NBA Draft dance, they may find their point guard late in the first round.
Getting Jackson and still landing a first-round point guard isn’t out of the question. Jawun Evans is expected to go late in the first-round and was an assist machine for Oklahoma State. There are questions for Evans and his ceiling may be the roof, but he will be a solid NBA guard.
He may not provide the upside and scoring of Jackson, but both together could be two major draft steals.