New York Knicks: Draft Trae Young if he falls to nine

The 2018 draft is rapidly approaching and the New York Knicks are desperate for a great one. The Knicks might have holes to fill but if Trae Young falls, it should be a no-brainer.

The New York Knicks got no luck in the 2018 draft lottery. The draft, however, still has potential to be a great one for the Knicks.

This will be the first draft with David Fizdale in charge, they still pick in the top 10, and in-season trades they made show the direction they are trying to go.

However, there is a certain player who is a solid fit for the Knicks. It has more to do with fate and destiny than anything else. For the Knicks, that might be something they need to rely on. It is not hard to see that the Knicks need defense. It wouldn’t hurt if they got a true center. Maybe another sharpshooter.

Alright, the Knicks are not that far off. But despite the plethora of guards they have, including the one they drafted in the very first round just last season, Trae Young should be selected if he falls to them.

In order for this to make more sense, we need to go back almost 10 years to the 2009 NBA Draft. Knicks fans might remember that draft as the night the team selected Jordan Hill, out of Arizona. Instead of going into depth about how that ended for Knicks fans, I’ll let the lack of notoriety and success do that for me. Or, for probably more people, that draft night was the one where the Knicks missed out on the face of the league, at least to most, Stephen Curry. Curry was taken one pick before Hill.

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The Knicks were likely going to take Curry. Curry would have wanted to be in New York too after being forced into a small school, and being looked over his entire life. New York would have given him the platform to get noticed. As we all know, he did just fine doing that in Golden State, the league will never be the same again.

But that is not what the story here is anymore. Lots of teams passed on Curry and only one got him.

Now, this is about Trae Young. The sensation from Oklahoma.

"If Trae Young falls, it should be a no-brainer"

There are some big boards that have him falling to nine and thus New York. However, it is still not likely. But the Knicks need him. It’s not even too far off to think they should trade up the draft for him. The ceiling for Young is high. He is scrawny, “undersized,” and only 6′ 2″. But, he also has the potential to be the Steph Curry-like guard they are missing.

For starters, Steph is only 6′ 3″ and only weighs a few more pounds then Young. Another similarity is the potential development of Young. Curry has always had a pretty shot but it took a few years for his game to work. He battled injuries and took time to incorporate his size and style into the NBA.

Now, Curry’s style is the NBA (at least for most teams). Heaving up threes, taking a lot of shots, defend is the way of the league these days. Trae Young, in Oklahoma, took many shots as well. He averaged almost 30 points a game. There is no doubt he is one of the most productive players in this draft.

Some reasons he might not go number one is due to his style and size. There’s just not a lot of teams who have room for a smaller guard. Even the Knicks don’t. However, those are all the reasons why Curry fell so deep too. Young went to a much more prominent school but still emerged himself into relevancy.

He can easily have a career much like Curry. The biggest advantage is that teams are already building their rosters around perimeter shooting, defense, and a supporting cast.

Players will never have a problem coming to New York. So they will be able to build around Young, much like the Warriors did with Curry. I am not guaranteeing Trae Young will be Stephen Curry. No one eligible for the draft will be Steph Curry. He has turned into a once in a lifetime talent who revolutionized the game.

What I am saying is I see flashes of Curry in Young. In general, that is not a bad NBA comparison.

Trae Young could also get drafted and not work as hard and miss a ton of shots to be a liability. Any scenario is possible.

But, for a team who may not “need” another guard, nothing would be wrong with taking Young if he actually falls to them. This team needs its next superstar. Kristaps Porzingis is close, but not there yet.

The Knicks are unlucky for just missing out on Steph Curry. Now, if they are lucky enough to have someone eerily similar to him fall to them, it should happen. The tides would turn in the most destined way possible.

The Knicks cannot mess up this draft. They need to build an identity, a foundation, teams that can win and maintain it.

Do not draft patches. Don’t just fix current problems, not this time.

Next: Knicks Mock Draft 2.0!

Trae Young can be the player who fixes everything. It the Knicks’ destiny. Also, their turn for luck.

Let’s see if it all comes together.

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