Know Your Draft Prospects: Social Media Edition

Gather ‘round, my friends, for it is time we look at the most crucial aspect of rating a Draft Prospect. It is time we look at the social media accounts of our possible FutureKnick, and judge his potential as a digital athlete in the big city.

Collin Sexton (Alabama)

Twitter: @collinyoungbull

IG: @collinyoungbull

OK. Let’s get this out of the way. There’s no way around it. Collin brands himself as the “Young Bull.” There’s even a logo:

and merch:

and family:

Is this the brand of a sportswear company, and not a sports playing person? I do not know. Should I? Is this one of those things everyone knows about except me? Do you find personal branding wonderful? Terrifying? Up to you. We report, you decide.

Also relevant about Collin: he eats skittles.

Wendell Carter (Duke)

Twitter: @wendellcarter34

IG: @wendellcarterjr

Young Wendell has but 12 Instagram posts, none of them containing animals. They are standard-issue athlete ‘grams, with pics of him playing, teammates, mom.

The oldest post is from December of 2017, so either our boy has just joined, or he has another less public account.

From his twitter (where’s he’s been since 2012) he’s mostly a retweeter. Big women’s basketball fan.

He’s also, sadly, a Dukie, so there’s Coach K and Grayson Allen a-plenty. We’ll leave that there. Oh well, no one’s perfect.

Trae Young (Oklahoma)

Twitter: @thetraeyoung

IG: @traeyoung

Snapchat: traeyoung01

Young Trae (Young) is a multi-platform gentleman, offering up Twitter, Insta AND Snapchat. (your correspondent does not delve into the Snapchat, for various technological and moral reasons). Trae is an inspirational quote Cleanthony Early-style tweeter, tweeting this more or less every morning:

He also supports the Oklahoma Teacher’s Strike:

Kevin Knox (Kentucky)

Twitter: @kevknox

IG: @kknox_23

Snapchat: kevinknox_23

I don’t know why, but there’s something exuberant and joyful in Kevin Knox’s fairly standard Instagram. Maybe it’s the extra goofiness to the obligatory mom post:

Or the little brother bugging out in the back of the standard doggie filter selfie:

The home-made Official College Visit graphics are pretty great

but to me it’s the special effects fan edits that really make Kevin stand out:

Feel the power!

He also has some Correct Basketball Opinions:

Miles Bridges (Michigan State)

Twitter: @milesbridges

IG: @milesbridges

Miles of the Bridges is another mostly re-tweeter, but he is not afraid to comment on hot topics, even those close to home:

Is this a joke about the plethora of Bridgeses available in the draft?

Miles’s Instagram is almost all basic playing-basketball pictures (plus mom),

but it goes all the way back to 2013 so we do get some fun baby Miles content, like this homecoming pic:

Lookin’ good, MB!

Luka Doncic (University of Our Hearts)

Twitter: @luka7doncic

IG: @lukadoncic

Future Knick Luka’s Twitter is trilingual (at least?) and burnished with the patina of success:

There is page after page of Luka With Trophy pictures. Makes you think.

After we pull off a miracle draft night trade (Noah, Timmy, Luke Kornet, Olive, and VIP Passes to the Radio City Music Hall Backstage Tour for the #1 pick), it might be a little bit difficult for Luka to adjust to Not Winning.

He’s got a pretty amazing collection of personal kicks:

And of course he’s a big fan of the other Real Madrid.

See you on the other side, Luka!

Mikal Bridges (Villanova)

Twitter: RED ALERT Mikal does not appear to have a publicly-obvious twitter account

IG: @mikalbridges

OK Saving the best for last here. In some senses Mikal has a bog-standard basketball IG account. However, he decided somewhere along the way (October 9, 2017) to switch over to black & white pictures exclusively. Although the pictures are pretty standard subjects, it makes it all seem so much more artistic. This is what Insta is for, gents. Check out the chiarascuro here:

I am also pleased to inform you that Mikal has a dog. It is a yellow lab that is both named Sonny and referred to by Mikal as his son, and if we don’t draft Mikal I’m going to cry. So without further ado I present all of Mikal Bridges and Sonny, because I may never again have a reason to do so.

The beginning:

The pain of an absent parent:

Growing...

FaceTiming with your dog because of course (happy birthday Sonny!):

And as a handsome young man:

There have been no Sonny updates recently, so please get on that, Mikal!

Lastly, if you aren’t sold on Mikal yet, and you think you can have your heart torn a little, there’s this post:

Yup. It’s dusty in here.

Oh yeah - here’s someone we are to believe is Mama Bridges, but is quite clearly Sister Bridges.

Good joke, Mikal.