New York Knicks: A fan’s guide to the college basketball season
By Eric Snyder
Or, the New York Knicks select …
Best-case scenario for the Knicks current season is a playoff berth as a 7- or 8-seed in the Eastern Conference. Obviously, assuming he doesn’t trade up, Steve Mills wouldn’t be choosing inside the draft lottery. With that in mind and assuming the Knicks end up around the 15-20 range in the NBA Draft, Mikal Bridges would be a smart choice.
Mikal Bridges is a junior at Villanova and stands 6’7″ and 200 pounds. Listed as a guard and/or forward, Bridges would be a natural fit in the same role of replacing Carmelo Anthony. No, he won’t the scorer Carmelo was or Kevin Knox will be, but he is still solid. Bridges played an important role as a freshman or Villanova’s national championship and is now a seasoned junior.
The Knicks need shooters around Kristaps Porzingis and Mikal Bridges fits into that role. Furthermore, his overall scoring ability has improved with the defensive ability that seemingly every Villanova wing-player possesses. Bridges won’t light up Madison Square Garden like Knox could, but he is the type of player every championship team wants.
As with any upperclassman, NBA scouts know the limitations and weaknesses of Bridges. Nevertheless, if the current Knicks roster continues to grow, they will need more athletic defenders. If nothing else, by drafting Mikal Bridges, the Knicks reinforce their defensive future that already features Frank Ntilikina and Damyean Dotson.
Figuring out potential second round picks this early in the college basketball season is random and difficult. However, players like Carlos Boozer, Willy Hernangomez and Draymond Green were all second round steals. The Knicks hope to find one more diamond in the rough in 2018.