Knicks mock draft roundup - 6/14/18

ONE. WEEK. UNTIL. THE DRAFT.

Batten down the hatches! Raise the mizzenmast! Ruddilize the rudder!

Ok, I don’t know how to sail a boat, but I do know mock drafts. So let’s take a look at some together and see who the Knicks are supposedly going to pick one week from today!

UPDATE (4:30 p.m.): I’m adding in The Athletic (which I subscribe to, yet their mocks eluded me for a month. What’s wrong with me?) and updating ESPN’s mock with their latest released today. Enjoy!

New entries:

UPROXX: The Knicks select Mikal Bridges, junior F, Villanova. A new entry?! Why, I was beginning to lose hope, this late in the process. But I found one! And, surprise surprise, the Knicks are taking the player that is maybe the most sensible outcome — 3-and-D specialist Mikal Bridges. (Last update: 6/12)

This wouldn’t be a typical Knicks pick but Bridges is the best player available. A potential defensive pairing of Bridges and Frank Ntilikina would be a lot of fun and the Knicks also need a floor-spacer. It has to be said that Bridges may not have the highest ceiling but his 3-and-D projection (with room to grow beyond that) is enticing for a team that needs to hit this pick.

The Athletic: The Knicks select Kevin Knox, freshman F, Kentucky. Kevin Knox is back, babay! Forget everything you know about Knox the basketball-playing prospect, and just let your mind wander with Clyde Frazier alliterations. “Knox is the Knick with a knack tonight, Mike!” (Last update: 6/14)

Knox, one of the draft’s youngest prospects, is a dark horse contender for New York at No. 9 overall who can create mismatches on the offensive end.
According to ESPN, Knox and Michigan State’s Miles Bridges – another player in the mix here for New York – competed against each other in a workout on Saturday.

Updated entries:

Sports Illustrated: The Knicks select Mikal Bridges, junior F, Villanova. SI planted their foot firmly and pivoted this week, changing the Knicks from Trae Young (he’s gone to the Bulls at 7 now) to Mr. Safe Pick, Mikal Bridges. (Last update: 6/12)

Barring Trae Young or Michael Porter unexpectedly falling to this spot, the Knicks appear likely to select from this next group of available wings. Bridges is said to be high on their list, given the relative level of safety he offers as a floor-spacer and versatile defender. He’s older and closer to contributing in an NBA role than Miles Bridges or Kevin Knox, and fits in nicely on the perimeter as the Knicks build around Kristaps Porzingis. Bridges isn’t perfect—creating his own shot off the dribble is a weakness, and some around the league feel the actual caliber of his man-to-man defense may be oversold. But given what he brings to the table, he should be able to carve out a place for himself and has a chance to become a starting-caliber player.

ESPN: The Knicks select Kevin Knox, freshman F, Kentucky. Another Knox entry, which is certainly an upgrade on ESPN’s longstanding Collin Sexton stance. Is there some as-yet-untold intel about the Knicks really loving Knox that The Athletic’s Mike Scotto and ESPN’s Jonathan Givony know? I guess we’ll figure it out soon enough. (Last update: 6/14)

While we’ve had Knox sliding to the Nos. 12-15 range the past few months after an up-and-down freshman season, NBA teams drafting in that range say they don’t anticipate him being there, as there seems to be a significant market for his services in the Nos. 7-11 range.
Knox had an underwhelming showing at his pro day in Miami, according to multiple scouts in attendance, but he has been very good otherwise in workouts. There’s a significant market in the NBA for combo forwards in his mold who can make an open shot, defend multiple positions and offer some offensive versatility. He’s one of the youngest players in this draft, so he still has plenty of room to continue to grow.

CBS Sports: The Knicks select Collin Sexton, freshman PG, Alabama. CBS pivots from Wendell Carter Jr. to Sexton. I’m uh, not thrilled at the proposition. And quite Frank-ly, the explanation for this pick makes it seem as if Gary Parrish didn’t watch the Knicks this year. (Last update: 6/13)

Frank Ntilikina is not a point guard. If the Knicks didn’t know that a year ago, they know it now. Which is among the reasons Sexton -- the one-and-done star who averaged 19.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 29.9 minutes per game while leading Alabama to the NCAA Tournament -- makes sense in this spot. The 6-3 point guard is super-fast, super-quick and forever aggressive. And those are all great qualities for anybody entering the NBA. He puts pressure on the defense basically every possession. He could be the additional star the Knicks need to return to the playoffs in, perhaps, 2020.

Bleacher Report: The Knicks select Mikal Bridges, junior F, Villanova. Mikal’s making a strong comeback after faltering a little last week. B/R previously had Michael Porter Jr. falling to the Knicks last week, but his stock is now on the rise, if the latest reports are to be believed. (Last update: 6/13)

Basketball Insiders: The Knicks select Mikal Bridges, junior F, Villanova. I’m noticing a very Mikal-forward trend in Knicks mock drafts this week. It’s like all of these sites got their wild mock drafts out of the way, and are now settling in on the comfortable truth that we’ve all probably known all along — Mikal Bridges fits what the Knicks want and need, even if his upside is seemingly limited. Worth noting, this is a consensus mock that saw two votes for Mikal, one vote for Trae Young, and one for Kevin Knox. (Last update: 6/13)

NBADraft.net: The Knicks select Wendell Carter Jr., freshman F/C, Duke. NBADraft.net moves on from the risky Collin Sexton/Frank Ntilikina experiment to the risky Kristaps Porzingis/Wendell Carter Jr. experiment. Edgy! (Last update: 6/12)

Heavy: The Knicks select Wendell Carter Jr., freshman F/C, Duke. Heavy gives us our first update in a while, switching the Knicks from Mikal to Carter. Carter’s certainly an intriguing prospect, even if the two-big fit with Kristaps Porzingis runs the risk of being outdated from the word ”go.” (Last update: 6/8)

Old entries:

Sporting News: The Knicks select Wendell Carter Jr., freshman F/C, Duke. (Last update: 6/13. No change to pick or analysis since last week, however.)

SB Nation: The Knicks select Wendell Carter Jr., freshman F/C, Duke. (Last update: 5/29. NOTE: Tom Ziller wrote a haiku mock draft [???] that I refuse to acknowledge. Ricky O’Donnell’s my guy.)

Yahoo!: The Knicks select Wendell Carter Jr., freshman F/C, Duke. (Last update: 6/5)

USA Today: The Knicks select Mikal Bridges, junior F, Villanova. (Last update: 5/16)

Washington Post: The Knicks select Collin Sexton, freshman PG, Alabama. (Last update: 5/16)

The Ringer: The Knicks select Trae Young, freshman PG, Oklahoma. (Last update: 6/5)

Net Scouts: The Knicks select Collin Sexton, freshman PG, Alabama. (Last update: 6/5)

The Big Lead: The Knicks select Mikal Bridges, junior F, Villanova. (Last update: 5/16)

NBC Sports: The Knicks select Mikal Bridges, junior F, Villanova. (Last update: 5/15)

Knicks Mock Draft Power Rankings 5.0

1. Mikal Bridges, junior F, Villanova (7 mocks)

2. Wendell Carter Jr., freshman F/C, Duke (5 mocks)

3. Collin Sexton, freshman PG, Alabama (3 mocks)

4. Kevin Knox, freshman F, Kentucky (2 mocks)

5. Trae Young, freshman PG, Oklahoma (1 mocks)