2018 NBA Draft: 5 potential first round steals

5. Kevin Knox, SF/PF — New York Knicks (No. 9)

Granted, Kevin Knox came into the evening being pegged on most mock draft boards in the neighborhood where the New York Knicks took him. However, he is indeed a steal because of a few other reasons besides draft position that make him a likely highly impactful player from day one.

First, Knox is going to handed a massive opportunity, that is to be a starting small forward for the New York Knicks 82 nights next year, barring injury. As just 18 years old, any other team might have hampered his development since he would be pressured to capitalize on a small window of opportunity.

In this case though, with Kristaps Porzingis sitting out likely most of next year rehabbing from his ACL injury, Knox will have no pressure to win and all the opportunity in the world to prove his worth as a bonafide combo forward with a nice scoring knack. He averaged 15.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game as a Wildcat.

Also, he is a steal because if anything has been learned in the past decade, it’s that University of Kentucky products always outperform their draft positions. While this might not seem likely with Knox being selected at No. 9, the truth is that future hypothetical redrafts will likely have Knox much closer to the top five of the 2018 NBA Draft, if not a part of it.