Knicks mock draft round-up: 05/09/17

Seven days until the Draft Lottery. I repeat, seven days until the Draft Lottery! This is not a drill!

As of today, the Knicks will be selecting at the No. 7 spot in the Draft until further notice. But we’re one week away from the Knicks potentially jumping up to the 1-3 spots, or tumbling to their doom and ending in the 8-10 range.

There’s a couple new entries since last week, and a couple updated ones as well. Bon appetit!

New entries:

CBS Sports: The Knicks take Frank Ntilikina, PG, Strasbourg (FR), at 7. CBS Sports sees the Knicks taking Ntilikina over De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk, in what would definitely be a bold move. I’m just guessing, but Steve Mills’ scouting of Ntilikina recently will probably affect a few mock drafts going forward. (Last update: 5/3)

The Knicks don't mind taking chances on overseas players, and they are doing due diligence on him now.

Basketball Insiders: The Knicks take Malik Monk, freshman G, Kentucky, at 7. This was a consensus ranking of four writers at Basketball Insiders (Joel Brigham, Michael Scotto, Moke Hamilton and Steve Kyler), where two had the Knicks taking Monk, one had them taking Fox and one had them taking Dennis Smith, Jr. No Knicks-specific analysis in this one (yet). (Last update: 5/3)

Updated entries:

Bleacher Report: The Knicks take De’Aaron Fox, freshman PG, Kentucky, at 7. No change here from the folks at B/R, who have been rabid in their mock drafting. They did, however, dive a little deeper into why Fox would be a good pick for the Knicks. (Last update: 5/8. Last pick: De’Aaron Fox)

If the Knicks get the seventh pick and Fox somehow falls that far, then they should make this selection in seconds. They might be lucky enough if the teams above them draft for need as opposed to picking the best player available.

It's pretty simple to explain why the Knicks and Fox are a perfect match: The Knicks need a point guard, and they finished 25th in defensive efficiency, per ESPN.com.

FanRag Sports: The Knicks take Malik Monk, freshman G, Kentucky, at 7. We have our first change! FRS previously had the Knicks taking Ntilikina, but have changed gears to Monk instead. So what changed? Well, they now have Minnesota taking Florida State F Jonathan Isaac one pick ahead of the Knicks at six instead of Monk, thus letting the Kentucky guard drop to the Knicks at seven. (Last update: 5/8. Last pick: Frank Ntilikina)

Monk is already an assassin behind the 3-point line, and he’s only 19 years old. He took 8.6 3-point attempts per 40 minutes at Kentucky, many of them way beyond the college arc; somehow he managed to maintain an efficient 40 percent clip, including 43 percent against SEC foes.

Given his off-ball instincts and skills, along with his tangible potential as a pull-up shooter, Monk could be a dynamic cog for Jeff Hornacek’s triangle-heavy offense. He and Kristaps Porzingis would stretch opponents across both sides of the floor.

If French combo guard Frank Ntilikina wows scouts during pre-draft scrimmages, he’ll lure the Knicks. For now, we’re projecting New York to take Monk and his microwave scoring skills.

SB Nation: The Knicks take De’Aaron Fox, freshman PG, Kentucky, at 7. Hey, finally, a slightly realistic take on the Knicks’ draft situation from the mothership. Ricky O’Donnell has been “randomizing” the draft order for his last few mock drafts, which previously had the Knicks selecting No. 2 (Lonzo Ball) and No. 3 (Josh Jackson). Which, like, yeah, of course I’m rooting for that. But I appreciate the more measured take in what will probably be his last mock before the lotto. (Last update: 5/8. Last pick: Lonzo Ball)

De’Aaron Fox struggles to shoot from three. He checks just about every other box. The Kentucky freshman has elite speed, an aggressive mindset defensively, and the ability to finish at the rim. Fox would form a devastating pick-and-pop game with Kristaps Porzingis.

DraftExpress: The Knicks take Malik Monk, freshman G, Kentucky, at 7. I still think Draft Express is just going best player available until the draft lottery, but their mock does say it was updated on 5/4. I can’t notice any changes at the top, however. In their scenario, the Knicks have their pick of Monk, Dennis Smith, Jr., Isaac and Ntilikina. (Last update: 5/4. Last pick: Malik Monk)

NBADraft.net: The Knicks take Dennis Smith, Jr., freshman PG, NC State, at 7. Much like DraftExpress, NBADraft.net’s mock was updated recently, but doesn’t seem to have any tangible changes since last time at the top. The Knicks pass over Monk and Ntilikina in this scenario. (Last update: 5/8. Last pick: Dennis Smith, Jr.)

Old entries:

HoopsHype: The Knicks take Dennis Smith, Jr., freshman PG, NC State, at 7. (Last update: 4/24)

ESPN: The Knicks take De’Aaron Fox, freshman PG, Kentucky, at 7. (Last update: 4/18)

Heavy: The Knicks take De’Aaron Fox, freshman PG, Kentucky, at 7. (Last update: 4/29)

Sports Illustrated: Based off of Big Board rankings, the Knicks take Malik Monk, freshman G, Kentucky, at 7. (Last update: 4/20)

Knicks Mock Draft Power Rankings 1.0

1A. De’Aaron Fox, freshman PG, Kentucky (4 mocks) (cool interview with him here, by the way)

1B. Malik Monk, freshman G, Kentucky (4 mocks)

2. Dennis Smith, Jr., freshman PG, NC State (2 mocks)

3. Frank Ntilikina, PG, Strasbourg (FR) (1 mock)

Did I miss any (non-team-specific) mock drafts? Feel free to let me know in the comments and I’ll add them!