New York Knicks: 5 options for pick No. 37 in 2018 NBA Draft

1. Jacob Evans SF — Cincinnati

New head coach David Fizdale made it clear the type of players that he wants to have on the Knicks. He wants tough, hard-nosed, defensive-minded players on his roster. There aren’t many players that embody that more than Jacob Evans.

Evans played collegiately at Cincinnati, one of the most vaunted defensive teams in the nation. The Bearcats allowed only 57.5 points per game, which ranked them second in the nation. Evans was a big reason for that.

Standing 6’6” and weighing 210 pounds, Evans could defend multiple positions. This past season he averaged 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks per game, so he produces stats on that end of the court as well.

Combine that with his ability to knock down 3-pointers, and Evans is the type of player that should be on everyone’s radar. Evans knocked down 37.7 percent of his 3-point attempts at Cincinnati, which would be more than acceptable at the next level.

In addition to the good shooting, you are getting a smart player that makes the right decisions on the court. He can be a facilitator if need be, can score if asked to and rebounds pretty well for a wing player, averaging 4.3 boards per game.

While Evans isn’t elite in any area except maybe on defense, he isn’t below-average at any either. He can help a team in many different areas. Josh Hart is similar to Evans in size and skill-set and looks like he was a steal for the Los Angeles Lakers with the No. 30 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

If the Knicks are on the clock and Evans is available, they should pull the trigger. They could really use another defensive-minded wing player as Courtney Lee will be 33 years old when the regular season gets underway.

Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft - Doncic still No. 1 in post-lottery edition

The wing is arguably the weakest spot on the roster right now for New York. If it is not addressed with their first round pick, their second-rounder has a good chance of being a small forward. Whoever is selected, they could find minutes right off the bat if they perform well in NBA Summer League, training camp and preseason.