The Knicks currently have draft picks #19, #21, #32, and #58.
That’s a lot of draft capital to give up just to move into the 8-10 range, at best. Additionally, trading three picks to put all your eggs in one basket, when that basket is one rookie, is not my favorite strategy.
Now, we have two picks in that range in a draft that has been described as one of the deepest in recent memory.
The Knicks are still a young, growing team that, barring any blockbuster trades, is unlikely to take a huge step next year.
It makes more sense to keep those two or three picks than to trade them and move up when this team is more than one young player away from making it any further in the playoffs than we did last year.
On top of that, the level of talent that typically falls between picks 19 and 22 is surprisingly impressive. Over the last 5 drafts, at least one promising, high-upside player has been selected in that four-pick range.
Players that have not only contributed to up-and-coming teams but eventually played valuable minutes on playoff-ready rosters.
After settling at the bottom of the Eastern Conference for what seemed like an eternity, the Knicks are finally turning a corner. With a young, developing core, we’ve become a competitive, playoff squad that must continue building out a roster that can truly attract free agents in the coming years.
An interesting way to make the case for why we should keep our first-rounders and continue drafting young talent is to look at the level of player that has typically fallen in our draft range over the last 5 NBA Drafts.
NY Knicks</a> find themselves in a very interesting situation: to trade, or not to trade.</p>
<p>The Knicks currently have draft picks #19, #21, #32, and #58.</p>
<p>However, rumors have spread that <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/07/25/ny-knicks-no-trade-up-2021-nba-draft/"https://dailyknicks.com/2021/06/24/knicks-rumors-ny-trade-top-8-2021-nba-draft/">New York will try to package their two first-rounders, and possibly pick #32</a>, to move up into the late lottery and target a higher-upside player.</p>
<p>That’s a lot of draft capital to give up just to move into the 8-10 range, at best. Additionally, trading three picks to put all your eggs in one basket, when that basket is one rookie, is not my favorite strategy.</p>
<p>After drafting <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/07/25/ny-knicks-no-trade-up-2021-nba-draft/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/q/quickim01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Immanuel Quickley</a> last year, our new front office regime showed they’re able to identify talent in the mid to late first round.</p>
<p>Now, we have two picks in that range in a draft that has been described as one of the deepest in recent memory.</p>
<h2>It would not be wise if the NY Knicks traded up in the 2021 NBA Draft</h2>
<p>The Knicks are still a young, growing team that, barring any blockbuster trades, is unlikely to take a huge step next year.</p>
<p>It makes more sense to keep those two or three picks than to trade them and move up when this team is more than one young player away from making it any further in the playoffs than we did last year.</p>
<p>On top of that, the level of talent that typically falls between picks 19 and 22 is surprisingly impressive. Over the last 5 drafts, at least one promising, high-upside player has been selected in that four-pick range.</p>
<p>Players that have not only contributed to up-and-coming teams but eventually played valuable minutes on playoff-ready rosters.</p>
<p>After settling at the bottom of the Eastern Conference for what seemed like an eternity, the Knicks are finally turning a corner. With a young, developing core, we’ve become a competitive, playoff squad that must continue building out a roster that can truly attract free agents in the coming years.</p>
<p>An interesting way to make the case for why we should keep our first-rounders and continue drafting young talent is to look at the level of player that has typically fallen in our draft range over the last 5 NBA Drafts.</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/2021/07/25/ny-knicks-no-trade-up-2021-nba-draft/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 2020 NBA Draft (#19: Saddiq Bey, #21: Tyrese Maxey) </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-120103 size-full" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/07/25/ny-knicks-no-trade-up-2021-nba-draft/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1232893656.jpeg" alt="NY Knicks, 2021 NBA Draft" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1232893656.jpeg 3200w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1232893656-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">NY Knicks, 2021 NBA Draft (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>NY Knicks Examples #1 and 2 — Saddiq Bey and Tyrese Maxey</h2>
<p>Last year, we saw two really impressive rookies go at #19 and #21.</p>
<p>Saddiq was taken at #19 to the Detroit Pistons, which proved to be an absolute steal.</p>
<p>As a rookie, Bey averaged 12.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, shooting 40% from the field and 38% from three, <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/07/25/ny-knicks-no-trade-up-2021-nba-draft/"https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1405677407131086848" target="_blank" rel="noopener">earning a spot on the All-NBA Rookie First Team</a>.</p>
<p>His field goal percentage was lackluster, but with limited veteran talent on the team, the Pistons took advantage of that by letting Bey get as many shots up as he wanted to speed up his development.</p>
<p>Bey showed some impressive offensive potential throughout the season, hitting six threes in the first quarter of a game against the Cavaliers, and then pouring in a career-high 30 points, going a perfect 7 for 7 from the three, in a win against the Celtics.</p>
<p>Shortly after, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Tyrese Maxey at #21, another player who, when given the minutes, showed ridiculous upside in his first year.</p>
<p>Maxey didn’t get nearly as many minutes as Bey, seeing as he split time with Seth Curry, Danny Green, Furkan Korkmaz, and Matisse Thybulle (a player I’ll touch on shortly).</p>
<p>In Maxey’s first year, he averaged 8 points and 2 assists per game, shooting 46% from the field and 30% from three, but when given more minutes, he showed the ability to take over a game.</p>
<p>In Maxey’s first start of the season, he poured in a monster 39 points, <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/07/25/ny-knicks-no-trade-up-2021-nba-draft/"https://www.si.com/nba/76ers/news/sixers-tyrese-maxey-allen-iverson-record-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one shy of Allen Iverson’s rookie scoring record for the 76ers</a>. At just 20 years old, Maxey proved he can be a legitimate scoring option off the bench for a playoff-caliber team, and then some.</p>
<p>Hypothetically, the Knicks drafting both Bey and Maxey would be nothing short of spectacular.</p>
<p>The fact two players of this caliber can be had in the #19-21 range is not only worth noting but is reason enough not to trade that potential to move up a handful of spots.</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/2021/07/25/ny-knicks-no-trade-up-2021-nba-draft/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 2019 NBA Draft (#20: Matisse Thybulle, #21: Brandon Clarke) </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-115589 size-full" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/07/25/ny-knicks-no-trade-up-2021-nba-draft/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1297830142.jpeg" alt="NY Knicks, 2021 NBA Draft" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1297830142.jpeg 3200w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1297830142-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">NY Knicks, 2021 NBA Draft (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>NY Knicks Examples #3 and 4 — Matisse Thybulle and Brandon Clarke</h2>
<p>Yet again, the 2019 NBA draft provided impressive NBA talent at the Knicks’ current draft range.</p>
<p>At pick #20, the 76ers selected Matisse Thybulle, a fan favorite in Philadelphia. Matisse Thybulle isn’t a player whose stats have popped in the box score, but his defensive abilities alone have been remarkable, earning him valuable minutes on a championship-caliber team.</p>
<p>In limited minutes, Thybulle averaged 1.6 steals per game and 1.1 blocks per game, good for 6th and 21st in the NBA respectively.</p>
<p>At such a young age, Thybulle was constantly tasked with defending the opposing team’s best player, which <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/07/25/ny-knicks-no-trade-up-2021-nba-draft/"https://www.nba.com/news/nba-announces-2020-21-all-defensive-first-and-second-teams" target="_blank" rel="noopener">earned him a spot on the All-NBA Defensive Second Team</a> in his sophomore season.</p>
<p>One pick later, the Memphis Grizzlies drafted Brandon Clarke, a high-motor power forward who has fit the ‘grit and grind’ mold perfectly in Memphis. Over two seasons, Clarke has averaged 11 points and 6 rebounds per game, shooting 57% from the field.</p>
<p>Clarke has been a fantastic rim runner with strong defensive promise, but his offensive skill set has not improved much from year one to year two. However, the athletic big man plays an important off the bench role for the Grizzlies’ young core.</p>
<p>Matisse Thybulle and Brandon Clarke are two players who would fit perfectly with the Knicks’ budding roster. These two guys were viewed as players that could help a team win now right out of the draft (both are 24 in their sophomore seasons) and bring high intensity on the defensive end.</p>
<p>Do those sound like Tom Thibodeau players to you? I think yes.</p>
<p>Ironically enough, Obi Toppin was frequently compared to Brandon Clarke during last year’s draft, as they were both upper-class rim runners with serious shot-blocking potential, although Toppin was thought to have a much better offensive skill set than Clarke.</p>
<p>Thybulle and Clarke would have slid into this year’s Knicks team seamlessly.</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/2021/07/25/ny-knicks-no-trade-up-2021-nba-draft/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 2018 NBA Draft (#19: Kevin Huerter, #20: Josh Okogie, #21: Grayson Allen) </a>
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<span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Three free agents the Knicks can target this offseason for the cheap </a> </div>
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