New York Knicks: Grading their 2019 NBA Draft

Ignas Brazdeikis is a fun player to watch. He’s a smaller forward that is a big catch and shoot threat. Altogether, he has the package of a pure scorer that can go anywhere on the floor and stay threatening on offense at all times. During his time in Michigan, he shot the three at a 39 percent clip.

The 6-7 forward received plenty of achievements during his lone season in the Big 10. Among the honors he earned were 2018-19 All-Big Ten Team, All-Big Ten Tournament Team, All-Big Ten Freshman Team, and Big Ten Rookie of the Year. That’s a pretty impressive resume that Madison Square Garden is getting on their roster.

With his shooting strengths, his weaknesses are pretty glaring. He doesn’t move his feet too well on defense and doesn’t get into transition well. He’s an undersized power forward that has gotten the worst of matchups within his position in the post. Overall, his defense needs to improve if he wants to make the Knicks Roster.

Ceiling: Joe Ingles

A southpaw like Ingles, Brazdeikis has the opportunity to be a lights-out shooter for the New York Knicks either off the bench or starting next to Barrett in the near future. Ingles tends to be a pest on the defensive end as well as chipping in points on offense. If Brazdeikis can at least raise his defensive prowess to a respectable amount, he could easily contend for the league’s Sixth Man of the Year in the future and come out as one of the steals of this draft.

Floor: Steve Novak

Novak is a Knicks legend, but not someone who Brazdeikis should try to emulate his game after. Although Novak was also a lights-out shooter, his attempts per game were lower because of his low minutes. He was an incredibly streaky player that could erupt and give you 20 off the bench, but also disappear and have no part in a game whatsoever. For Brazdeikis’ career to thrive in New York, he’ll want to stay more consistent than Novak ever was.