Plan B Options If New York Knicks Can't Get Jahlil Okafor in the 2015 NBA Draft

Believe it or not, Duke freshman phenom Jahlil Okafor is not the only desirable player expected to be in the 2015 NBA draft. That's good news, because even if the New York Knicks end the season last in the league, they are not guaranteed the No. 1 pick.

So let's not obsess over Okafor. There are other players Phil Jackson should be watching when Duke has a night off. 

The Knicks need plenty. A consistent shooting guard (if such a thing exists). An athletic big man who can pass well. A rim protector. A strong backup for Carmelo Anthony. A point guard who can drive the lane and give the backcourt more size.

Whoever the Knicks select must be the type of player who's willing to learn, work, defend, share well and hustle every night. 

Here are a few who might fit the bill.

Rakeem Christmas, Power Forward, Syracuse

Syracuse's Rakeem Christmas epitomizes what Walt Clyde Frazier would call "splendor on the glass." The 6'9" Orange senior power forward is always a threat down low, floating up pretty bank shots and making it look easy. 

The Knicks are one of the league's worst at scoring points in the paint, and Christmas' combo of power and grace could help change that. He's also one of the ACC's leaders in blocks, another area where New York needs help.

Nevertheless, Christmas would be an unlikely choice. The major prognosticators—Hoops Hype, ESPN Insider Chad Ford, Draft Express, The Big Lead's Jason McIntyre and Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman—don't see him going in the first round. Christmas' stock might be on its way up, though. Wednesday, he was named to the Naismith Trophy Midseason 30.

Saturday night, he has a chance to prove himself against Okafor, when 'Cuse and Duke meet in an ACC match-up. Christmas told Syracuse.com:

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I don't have any type of grudges against [Okafor] or anything like that. I just want to go out there and help my team win. I'm going to give it my all, he's going to give it his all. We're going to battle.

"

Both of their names are splashed all over the ACC leaderboards. Christmas equals Okafor in points per game (18.0), edges him out on rebounds (9.3) and far surpasses him on blocks (2.4).  

Christmas has an extra incentive to play his heart out. Since Syracuse decided to self-impose a postseason ban, in response to an ongoing NCAA investigation into past infractions, Christmas will be unable to play in the NCAA tournament, NIT or ACC conference tournament in his final year for the Orange.

Montrezl Harrell, Power Forward, Louisville

Louisville junior Montrezl Harrell is a lot like Knicks forward Quincy Acy, but who wouldn't want another of those coming off the bench?

Harrell is only 6'8", but he's powerfully built, with a 7'3" wingspan. He's ferocious when clawing for rebounds and when he throws it down, the rim is sore for a week. Harrell's bruising play rattles opponents who worry about things like broken bones and the ability to sire children. 

Ford said it perfectly:

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He's a beast on the boards, tries to finish everything with a dunk and plays with great energy.

"

On the flip side, as Wasserman put it:

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He's still pretty much limited to interior scoring and putbacks for offense, without a reliable outside shot or much polish in the post. 

"

The word "polish" certainly does not apply to Harrell. But that may not matter to Knicks head coach Derek Fisher. Who needs elegance when you can throw down an alley-oop slam so nasty it causes professional commentators to cry out in pain (watch the video above, at 00:30)? 

D'Angelo Russell, PG/SG, Ohio State

Ohio State freshman D'Angelo Russell is fast becoming the hottest draft prospect of them all. As Ford said, Russell is "suddenly looking like a serious contender to be the first guard off the board (and perhaps even the No.1 pick)."

The 18-year-old, 6'5" guard is averaging 19.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, shooting 47.2 percent from the field, 43.8 behind the arc. Last Sunday, he logged a triple-double on Rutgers.  

And what a passer. If you missed the 40' cross-court bounce pass Russell whipped to Sam Thompson against Northwestern, do yourself a favor and jump to 4:30 in the video above. Oh my goodness. Dishes like that show off Russell's exceptional court vision.

He is primarily considered a point guard, and at 6'5" he is considerably taller than New York's other young 1-2 guards—5'11" Shane Larkin and 6'2" Langston Galloway.

Yet, as a Knick, Russell may fit in best at the shooting guard position. He's an extraordinarily accurate shooter—something the Knicks backcourt lacks—but he doesn't drive to the hoop often. Pairing Russell with a more traditional share-first point guard could be a win for New York.

Emmanuel Mudiay, Point Guard, China

If they go digging for 6'5" point guards, Emmanuel Mudiay might be an even better option for the Knicks than Russell.

Mudiay just injured his ankle, ending his season with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association after just 10 games. That could hurt his chances in the draft, but he has a long way to fall.

Mike Schmitz of Draft Express described Mudiay as "one of the best 'shot creators' in the entire 2015 draft." Hoops Hype went even further, calling Mudiay:

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An elite level PG with the dynamic talent to to be in the category of point guards such as Derrick Rose, John Wall and Damian Lillard.

"

That might be an exaggeration.

Yet, there are parts of Mudiay's game that are truly DRose-esque, particularly in transition. He's not zippy, lightning fast; he's a powerful runner with long strides who simply lunges right by defenders as though they aren't there.   

Mudiay averaged 18.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6.3 assists for Guangdong. He's not much of a perimeter shooter, but that may be a good thing for the Knicks, who have relied too heavily on the long ball. If New York wants to become a threat in the paint, he could be just the man for the job.

Karl-Anthony Towns, Forward-Center, Kentucky

A healthy Amar'e Stoudemire is a glorious thing to behold. A powerful, athletic, agile big man who commands the rim and stretches the floor a bit with pretty hooks and a capable jump shot. 

With Stoudemire's future in New York uncertain, Kentucky forward-center Karl-Anthony Towns might be the next best thing.

At 7'0", 248 pounds, Towns has much of STAT's power and athleticism, and a strong jumper. He's not quite as dominant at the rim, but he is a more willing defender than Stoudemire was at that age.

Yet most of all, Towns has an exceptional passing ability. A big man who can pass is something the Knicks have not enjoyed in recent history. It could be the key to the Knicks' triangle offense; like it was to the Los Angeles Lakers during the Shaquille O'Neal era. 

However, does Towns have the spirit of Stoudemire? On that point, there is some doubt. As Hoops Hype put it:

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There are some concerns about whether he's a lazy kid or he has the work ethic to be great.

"

Willie Cauley-Stein, Center, Kentucky

The other big weapon in the Kentucky frontcourt could be the Knicks' best option. Seven-foot junior center Willie Cauley-Stein is first and foremost a defender. That's something the Knicks have missed since Tyson Chandler's Defensive Player of the Year season.

Cauley-Stein bears a resemblance to Bulls center Joakim Noah in both his build and his game. He's a gangly, nimble shot-blocker and rebounder, with a 7'2" wingspan and plenty of energy. He's averaging 1.6 blocks, 9.2 points and 6.3 rebounds this season.

And sometimes he throws down a dunk so fierce and so hard it shakes the whole building, like he did against Florida Feb. 7.

Granted, he does not have quite as much scrappy spirit as Noah, but then again, nobody does. 

Cauley-Stein's one trouble is passing. And that's a problem in an offense that requires so much ball movement. Yet that is the sort of skill that could be learned. As Hoops Hype described it:

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Despite his limitations, he's in elite athletic company for a 7-footer and will find a role as a shot blocking, rebounding, alley-oop finishing energy guy, even if his offensive game never fully develops.

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Even if the Knicks do get the No. 1 pick, they should think long and hard on Cauley-Stein, Towns, Mudiay and Russell before they pluck Okafor out of the draft. No doubt he'd be great, but he's not the only thing New York needs.

Follow Sara Peters on Twitter @3FromThe7.