New York Knicks Draft: Will Malik Monk or Frank Ntilikina Be the No. 8 Overall Pick?
The 2017 NBA Draft Lottery proved to be a disappointment for the New York Knicks after the team was given the No. 8 overall pick in the first round of this year's draft, potentially quashing hopes to land top prospects like Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball or De'Aaron Fox.
New York's first pick in the draft will be determined by the seven players that will get selected by other teams ahead of them. But with Kristaps Porziņģis, Joakim Noah and Willy Hernangomez in the frontcourt, the team is looking to improve their backcourt.
"There's quite a few guards [in the draft],'' Knicks president Phil Jackson told reporters after the draft lottery, according to The New York Post. "We have a couple of guards on the roster. We have a guard need, we have a wing need. So we know what we need.''
So far, the names of Malik Monk and Frank Ntilikina are reportedly the top two targets of the Knicks. Monk helped bring Kentucky to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, earning the title of "SEC Freshman of the Year." Ntilikina, on the other hand, is a French point guard standing tall at 6-feet 5-inches with a lot of athleticism. Both players will just be 19 years old at the start of the 2017–2018 National Basketball Association (NBA) season.
However, while much attention will be focused on what the Knicks plans to do with its No. 8 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the team's utilization of the second round selections will be crucial as well, according to a report by Daily Knicks.
The New York Knicks is currently in possession of the No. 45 overall and No. 58 overall selections in the 2017 NBA Draft. And in preparing for the annual selection process, the New York team have reportedly begun working out its prospects.
According to Ian Begley of ESPN New York, the Knicks worked out five players on Wednesday, May 17, such as Tony Bradley, Tyler Dorsey, Kasey Hill, Kobi Simmons, and Omer Yurtseven. This group features three point guards and two big men, and these athletes are projected to be second-round draft picks.
