New York Knicks: Players to Draft in Worst-Case Lottery Scenario

The NBA Draft Lottery will take place on Thursday night, and the New York Knicks have the sixth-best odds. While it is fun to be optimistic, the truth of the matter remains that the Knicks haven’t moved up in the lottery since 1985.

With the current system in place, the New York Knicks can fall no further than ninth in the NBA Draft. With the ping pong balls officially bouncing on Thursday, it’s important to get familiar with some prospects towards the back of the top 10. Let’s operate with the possibility that the team has fallen to the ninth spot.

The 2020 draft class is mostly underwhelming, which means that the Knicks can go in two directions. They can shoot for the stars and take a chance on a high-risk, high-reward prospect, or they could play things safe and choose a collegiate athlete with a high floor and low ceiling.

The Knicks have been known to chase stars in the past, so they might want to go for it all when drafting a player. However, it’s important to note that the 2021 draft class is expected to be much deeper. Team President Leon Rose might just settle for a low-risk prospect and hope for a top-five pick in next year’s star-studded draft.

The Knicks have two core pieces in RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson, so it’s important to select a player who theoretically fits well alongside them in terms of playstyle.

Now of course there is the possibility that the Knicks wind up with a top-five pick, maybe even top-three, but if recent luck tells us anything, I wouldn’t bet on it. That being said, we’re going to look at six players who are projected to go in the latter part of the top-ten.

Here are six players who could be chosen if the NBA Draft Lottery does not fall in the team’s favor: