Pre-Lottery New York Knicks Mock Draft

Zion Williamson

If the Knicks wind up with the first overall pick, it is clear who they will wind up taking.

Zion Williamson is arguably the best NBA prospect we have seen since Lebron James. Williamson helped Duke to an ACC Tournament title and an Elite Eight appearance before losing to Michigan State by one back in March.

He did so by being a human highlight reel and it seemed as if Williamson wound up in the SportsCenter Top 10 each time he took the court as he dazzled with his impossible dunks and out of this world defensive plays.

However, many people believe that all Williamson can do is dunk, but that is simply not the case. With a 68% field goal percentage and 33.8% three-point percentage, Zion is more than just a dunker.

Of the 31 games in which Zion attempted at least one three, he made at least one three in 18 of those 31 games, making 24 total on the season. Zion is much more than a dunker and most people are beginning to realize that.

The first time I saw Zion play was back in high school against a school called Spartanburg Christian. In a rivalry game, Williamson put up 35 points and helped his team coast to a 55 point win.

I got the chance to interview Williamson following the game and the manner in which he conducts himself tells me that he will be able to handle the New York media and the spotlight that comes with playing in New York just fine.

Williamson has everything a team could want in an NBA draft pick and if the New York Knicks have any kind of chance to take Williamson they better do so, or they will face what the New York Giants are currently facing after their draft, but it will be worse for the Knicks.

He has the potential to help the Knicks do a complete 360, meaning he could help them completely turn around their franchise. Yes, Williamson couldn’t win a National Championship in college with arguably one of the most talented teams in NCAA history, but that shouldn’t be looked into too much.

With Duke, Williamson played against all four of the 2019 Final Four teams at least once. In those five total games, he averaged 19.8 points, 10 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2 blocks and 1.8 steals per game. If nothing else this tells you that Zion shows up in games that matter and if the Knicks do in fact get the 6-7, 285-pound beast, they can count on him to play well when it matters.

The only way the Knicks do end up with Zion is if they either get the first overall pick or likely the second pick if the Suns get the first pick. There have been numerous reports that Phoenix reportedly likes Ja Morant more than they do Williamson, which means if they wind up with the first pick they would likely take Morant instead.

With this, there are likely only two scenarios in which the Knicks wind up with Zion Williamson, but we will have to wait and see if it will happen.