ESPN’s Chad Ford predicts North Carolina State point guard Dennis Smith Jr. for the New York Knicks in his newest mock draft.
The NBA Draft Lottery came and went, and all 14 teams now know their position on the big night. As usual, there were winners and losers from the lottery. The New York Knicks were part of the latter. They fell one spot to the No. 8 selection, and ESPN’s Chad Ford has them picking there in his latest mock draft.Ford predicts the Knicks will select North Carolina State point guard Dennis Smith Jr. After the lottery had commenced, and the Knicks didn’t ascend to the top where they could obtain either Lonzo Ball or Markelle Fultz, chatter began that Smith or Frank Ntilikina could be the guy with the eighth pick.
The Knicks have expressed interest in Ntilikina, and general manager Steve Mills went as far as to fly to France to scout the 18-year-old in person. Ford mentions this in his summary of the prediction.
Via ESPN:
The Knicks are intent on finding a point guard to pair with Kristaps Porzingis.
In some drafts, Smith would be a top-three pick. He’s super athletic, he can score from anywhere on the floor and he’s an above-average playmaker. His team was terrible last season and that hurt his stock, but he has the tools NBA teams are looking for in a modern point guard.
Frank Ntilikina will also get a long look here. The Knicks have scouted him heavily.
Ford feels the same way that many of the rest of us do: Finding a replacement for Derrick Rose is important.
Phil Jackson praised during his controversial press conference, but ESPN’s draft expert believes it’s time to move on.
