But, aside from the 3 teams just mentioned, the best teams in this era, the Warriors and Spurs, acquired most of their core players through the draft. The team with the best record this season, the Utah Jazz, was also built through the draft.
However, the Knicks seem to favor the team-building model of their rival across the river and the two L.A. teams. That has been their main issue over the past 40 years, an unwillingness to patiently develop their own players.
If you go back and look at some of the best NY Knicks teams that didn’t win a championship, you will notice they were always a great player short of being the best team. Even though Leon Rose and Tom Thibodeau have the cap space to do a quick rebuild, they will still need to do well in the draft in order to reach contention status. That is why the 2020 draft was so important, as it might be the last time the Knicks will have a good lottery pick in the Leon Rose/Tom Thibodeau era.
The Knicks hit a home run by trading back to the 25th pick to draft Quickley, which most draft experts had pegged as a mid-2nd round pick. The Obi Toppin pick on the other hand has come under a lot of scrutiny. I will not criticize Leon Rose for selecting Obi since he felt he was the best player available and Randle looked more like a salary dump than an all-star at the time.
All the great players that the Knicks have missed out on were because they were drafting for need instead of talent. If you go back and look at past drafts you will realize how few great players are available every year. So you have to secure the 2-3 great players that each draft produces regardless of position. The draft is all about talent acquisition.
It’s easier to trade from an area of strength to fill a hole than to acquire a great player in free agency. So unless the Knicks are able to trade either Julius Randle or Obi Toppin to fill another need we as fans have to ask ourselves, could the Knicks have done better in the draft?
NY Knicks</a> are trying to create a long-term contender. We have heard it said many times, championship teams are built through the draft. While that doesn’t seem like the case of late since the favorites to win the championship: Lakers, Nets, and Clippers, were all built around players acquired via free agency or trade, but that is the exception, not the norm.</p>
<p>But, aside from the 3 teams just mentioned, the best teams in this era, the Warriors and Spurs, acquired most of their core players through the draft. The team with the best record this season, the Utah Jazz, was also built through the draft.</p>
<p>However, the Knicks seem to favor the team-building model of their rival across the river and the two L.A. teams. That has been their main issue over the past 40 years, an unwillingness to patiently develop their own players.</p>
<p>If you go back and look at some of the best NY Knicks teams that didn’t win a championship, you will notice they were always a great player short of being the best team. Even though Leon Rose and Tom Thibodeau have the cap space to do a quick rebuild, they will still need to do well in the draft in order to reach contention status. That is why the 2020 draft was so important, as it might be the last time the Knicks will have a good lottery pick in the Leon Rose/Tom Thibodeau era.</p>
<h2>NY Knicks: the 2020 Draft</h2>
<p>The Knicks hit a home run by trading back to the 25th pick to draft Quickley, which most draft experts had pegged as a mid-2nd round pick. The Obi Toppin pick on the other hand has come under a lot of <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/04/04/knicks-should-team-second-guess-the-drafting-of-obi-toppin/"https://theknickoftimeshow.com/what-are-the-knicks-going-to-do-with-toppin/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scrutiny</a>. I will not criticize Leon Rose for selecting Obi since he felt he was the best player available and Randle looked more like a salary dump than an all-star at the time.</p>
<p>All the great players that the Knicks have missed out on were because they were drafting for need instead of talent. If you go back and look at past drafts you will realize how few great players are available every year. So you have to secure the 2-3 great players that each draft produces regardless of position. The draft is all about talent acquisition.</p>
<p>It’s easier to trade from an area of strength to fill a hole than to acquire a great player in free agency. So unless the Knicks are able to trade either Julius Randle or Obi Toppin to fill another need we as fans have to ask ourselves, could the Knicks have done better in the draft?</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/04/04/knicks-should-team-second-guess-the-drafting-of-obi-toppin/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Revisiting 2020 Draft </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-116647" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/04/04/knicks-should-team-second-guess-the-drafting-of-obi-toppin/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1303738323.jpeg" alt="NY Knicks" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1303738323.jpeg 3200w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1303738323-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Tyrese Haliburton, Knicks. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>NY Knicks: Hindsight is 20/20</h2>
<p>You heard a lot of the pundits in the media say the Knicks should have drafted Tyrese Haliburton instead of Obi Toppin with the 8th pick. But my argument is that you have to look at both 1st rounds picks in tandem. The player taken with the 8th pick had to be able to play with Quickley since there wasn’t a better player than him selected after him. So let’s look at the players selected after Obi Toppin and before Quickley.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;padding-left: 30px"><strong> 9.</strong> <del>Deni Avdija</del> : doesn’t fit with Mitch and Julius</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px"> <strong>10.</strong> <del>Jalen Smith</del> : hasn’t played well, doesn’t fit with Mitch and Julius</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px"> <strong>11.</strong> <del>Devin Vassell</del> : would get limited playing time because of Burks and Bullock</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px"> <strong>12.</strong> <del>Tyrese Haliburton</del> : can’t play with Quickley</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px"> <strong>13.</strong> <del>Kira Lewis Jr</del>. : can’t play with Quickley</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px"> <strong>14.</strong> <del>Aaron Nesmith</del> : hasn’t played much</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px"> <strong>15.</strong> <del>Cole Anthony</del> : can’t play with Quickley</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px"> <strong>16.</strong> <del>Isaiah Stewart</del> : doesn’t fit with Mitch and Julius</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px"> <strong>17.</strong> Aleksej Pokusevski : good fit</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px"> <strong>18.</strong> <del>Josh Green</del> : hasn’t been played much</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px"> <strong>19.</strong> Saddiq Bey : maybe</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px"> <strong>20.</strong> <del>Precious Achiuwa </del> : doesn’t fit with Mitch and Julius</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px"> <strong>21.</strong> <del>Tyrese Maxey</del> : can’t play with Quickley at NBA level</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px"> <strong>22.</strong> <del>Seke Nnaji</del> : doesn’t fit with Mitch and Julius</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px"> <strong>23.</strong> Leandro Bolmaro : playing in Europe</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px"> <strong>24.</strong> <del>R.J. Hampton</del> : can’t play with Quickley</p>
<p>Out of the 16 players taken between the 9th and 24th picks, many have shown promise. Some of the best players selected are ball handlers: Haliburton, Anthony, and Maxey. However, none of the three have shown to be clearly better than Quickley or that they can play alongside him.</p>
<p>The NY Knicks are at their best when they get good play from Quickley and Burks, who have the <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/04/04/knicks-should-team-second-guess-the-drafting-of-obi-toppin/"https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/team/20/onoff#tab-team_efficiency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">highest plus/minus rating of rating (+6.3)</a>, to compliment Randle and Barrett. That is because Quickley and Burks stretch the floor and get to the basket, one thing Obi doesn’t do.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/04/04/knicks-should-team-second-guess-the-drafting-of-obi-toppin/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Who to take over Toppin </a>
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<h2>NY Knicks: Who else could they have considered?</h2>
<p>As I look back at the 2020 draft, knowing that Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball were not an option, there really is only one player I would consider taking instead of Obi. The other small forward options, Saddiq Bey and Leandro Bolmaro, might be nice players, but their upside is not as high as Obi or the guy I love – Aleksej Pokusevski (Polu).</p>
<div class="embed "><iframe loading="lazy" width="500" height="281" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/04/04/knicks-should-team-second-guess-the-drafting-of-obi-toppin/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/QqWbJJ5gkXs?start=46&feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>The best option in my option was the player taken by The Thunder with the 17th pick, <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/04/04/knicks-should-team-second-guess-the-drafting-of-obi-toppin/"https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4683018/aleksej-pokusevski" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aleksej Pokusevski(Poku)</a>. He was considered a reach when Sam Presti drafted him, but he has played better than expected. Before the draft I wrote an article “<a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/04/04/knicks-should-team-second-guess-the-drafting-of-obi-toppin/"https://dailyknicks.com/2020/10/30/knicks-draft-strategy-find-outliers/">Knicks Draft Strategy: Find the outliners in the first round</a>“. In that article, I listed 4 players the Knicks should target, two (Williams & Okoro) got unexpectedly taken in the top 5.</p>
<p>The 3rd player, Kira Lewis Jr., as mentioned doesn’t make sense now that the Knicks have Quickley. Pokusevski was the 4th outliner on my list. His combination of size and skill, a 7-footer that plays like a guard is insane. He is also fearless and creative. The only reason he wasn’t higher on draft boards was that he was raw and needed to fill out. At 205lbs, he could not be expected to play consistent minutes for an entire NBA season.</p>
<p>While I was hoping the NY Knicks would have selected him with their second 1st round pick, in hindsight it would have made more sense to trade back from the 8th pick to the end of the lottery to draft him. Knowing that Thibodeau doesn’t like playing young guys, Poku could have been <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/04/04/knicks-should-team-second-guess-the-drafting-of-obi-toppin/"https://okcthunderwire.usatoday.com/2021/04/01/pokusevski-playing-in-bubble-was-best-thing-that-he-could-have-ever-done/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sent to the G-League</a> during rookie season. There also won’t be an outcry if he played the same amount of minutes that Obi Toppin is getting as the 8th pick, less than 12 minutes a game.</p>
<p>While I originally didn’t like <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/04/04/knicks-should-team-second-guess-the-drafting-of-obi-toppin/"https://dailyknicks.com/2020/11/23/knicks-obi-toppin-read-this/">the Obi Toppin pick</a>, I see why the Knicks selected him. I am now convinced he will be a good NBA player. My concern is that he can’t play with Randle, who is now a foundational piece.</p>
<p>While Poku’s numbers haven’t been great, he’s had good moments and is getting better with every game. He has shown enough to start 10 games this season for the Thunder. He has had two 20+ point games recently. Poku is shooting 89.5% from the free-throw line. He also averages almost 3 assists and 1.6 blocks per 36 minutes. Not bad for a player that was 18 years on draft night.</p>
<p>Poku could have been our new unicorn, replacing Kristaps Porzingis(KP). While he still needs to fill out, he has played <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/04/04/knicks-should-team-second-guess-the-drafting-of-obi-toppin/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/pokusal01.html#all_pbp" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">18%</a> of the time at center. He also would be a better fit along with Randle and Mitch as he stretches the floor.</p>
<p>Again, I am not second-guessing the Knicks, especially since it was Leon Rose’s first draft. Going with a mature player with upside that you have a strong personal connection with made sense. He was a projected top-5 pick that slipped to 8th. he also filled what appeared to be a position of need at the time.</p>
<p>But knowing how hard it is to win an NBA championship, let’s hope the NY Knicks strike gold in the draft at least one more time.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Can Kevin Knox salvage his career with The Knicks?" data-url="https://dailyknicks.com/2021/04/02/ny-knicks-kevin-knox-salvage-his-career/" data-call-to-action="Next"
> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/04/04/knicks-should-team-second-guess-the-drafting-of-obi-toppin/"https://dailyknicks.com/2021/04/02/ny-knicks-kevin-knox-salvage-his-career/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Can Kevin Knox salvage his career with The Knicks? </a> </div>
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