knicks draft lottery
David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks are locked in at 11 in the 2022 NBA Draft. It’s another NBA Lottery and another year where the Knicks don’t move up. The last time New York jumped up in the lotto was in 1985 when they leapfrogged two spots to snag Patrick Ewing first overall.

As much as Knicks fans deserve to move up in the lottery after years of ping-pong frustration, the odds were always pointing to this scenario. Here’s a look at the pre-lottery odds for each Knicks scenario:

  • #1 — 2.0%
  • #2 — 2.2%
  • #3 — 2.4%
  • #4 — 2.8%
  • #11 — 77.6%
  • #12 — 12.6%
  • #13 — 0.4%
  • #14 — >0.0%

Here’s the full lottery order:

  1. Orlando Magic
  2. Oklahoma City Thunder
  3. Houston Rockets
  4. Sacramento Kings
  5. Detroit Pistons
  6. Indiana Pacers
  7. Portland Trail Blazers
  8. New Orleans Pelicans (via Los Angeles Lakers)
  9. San Antonio Spurs
  10. Washington Wizards
  11. New York Knicks
  12. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Los Angeles Clippers)
  13. Charlotte Hornets
  14. Cleveland Cavaliers

The downside of the Knicks standing pat at 11? Barring an aggressive move to trade up, they will miss out on top prospects like Jabari Smith, Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, and Jaden Ivey. For me, these four are a cut above the rest of this class and all four have superstar potential.

On the bright side, New York avoids the roughly 13% chance of slipping even further down in the lotto. Sticking at 11 puts the Knicks in line to draft a legitimate contributor. In a perfect world, they will find that diamond in the rough who turns into the next Donovan Mitchell or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

They could go with a ballhandler at this spot. Guys like Johnny Davis, Dyson Daniels, TyTy Washington, or possibly even the mysterious Shaedon Sharpe could be available. If not a ballhandler, this class is deep with forwards and wings too.

In short, the Knicks are going to have a range of options at 11. Will they try and fill a need by adding another guard or go with the best player available? Could Knicks president Leon Rose surprise everyone by trading up? For now, we’ll have to wait and see. Most mock drafts have the Knicks taking a wing or guard at 11.

Here are the last 10 guys to go 11th in the NBA Draft:

  • 2021 — James Bouknight
  • 2020 — Devin Vassell
  • 2019 — Cam Johnson
  • 2018 — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
  • 2017 — Malik Monk
  • 2016 — Domantas Sabonis
  • 2015 — Myles Turner
  • 2014 — Doug McDermott
  • 2013 — Michael Carter-Williams
  • 2012 — Meyers Leonard
NY/NJ hoops reporter (NBA/NCAA) & sports betting writer for XL Media. Never had the makings of a varsity athlete.