6 NBA Draft Prospects the New York Knicks Should Already Be Dreaming About

The New York Knicks are stumbling through another slow start to the season, but unlike in years past, they will actually be able to enjoy the fruits of their futility.

Their first-rounder will almost certainly be in the high end of the lottery, and because league rules barred the team from trading this summer's pick, New York will be in a position to add top collegiate talent for next year.

Despite finishing out of the playoffs in six of the last nine years, the Knicks have taken their own lottery selection just three times in that stretch—most recently, Jordan Hill in 2009.

With most of the roster coming off the books this summer, the team will have several needs for next year, leaving it with several directions to go in next June's draft.

Willie Cauley-Stein

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The Knicks could end up with a top-five pick this summer, but if they gain some momentum as the season moves forward, or if they decide on trading back a few slots, Willie Cauley-Stein could be an answer at the center position.

Starter Samuel Dalembert is set to be a free agent after the season, as are Cole Aldrich, Jason Smith and Amar'e Stoudemire. The center spot is wide open for next season, and if the Knicks don't like their chances of luring Marc Gasol to the Garden in July, settling that need in the draft would be an efficient use of costs.

Now in his junior year at Kentucky, Cauley-Stein is averaging 10.7 points and 6.8 rebounds a night, which normalize to 17.5 points and 11.2 boards per 40 minutes. He brings intensity defensively and can protect the rim with a 7'2" wingspan.

Offensively, the 7-footer has yet to assert himself with the Wildcats, but he has averaged a career-high seven shots a game this year—most of which coming at the rim—shooting 62.3 percent.

Cauley-Stein is athletic and would bring a defensive presence to the Knicks' lineup that has been missing without Tyson Chandler. The 21-year-old could project to be a similar player to Chandler if he could develop more stability on the offensive end.

For ESPN Insider, Paul Biancardi responded to a tweet from a fan suggesting this comparison last year:

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Both protect the rim by blocking shots and helping from the weak side. This comparison is fair, but don't forget Chandler came straight out of high school and really blossomed as an NBA defensive-player-of-the-year talent. Plus, he has the ability to post double-doubles at times. Cauley-Stein has a lot of work to do on his offense and his rebounding to become like Chandler.

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The Knicks may be inclined to look for a bit more out of a high lottery pick, but Cauley-Stein may still go down as a top-10 pick.

Justise Winslow

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If the Knicks intend on playing Carmelo Anthony at power forward, which they should since it's easier for him to defend at the 4 and he's much more efficient against bigger players, the next logical move would be to bring in an athletic wing to play the 3—preferably one who specializes in defense.

In Duke's Justise Winslow, the Knicks would be looking at a player who could fill this void. The 18-year-old swingman stands at 6'6" with a 6'10" wingspan and can defend multiple positions, bringing intensity both on the ball and as a helper, according to scouting from ProBasketballAnalysis.com.

Offensively, Winslow's jump shot is suspect at his early age, but he is a willing playmaker and succeeds at making reads, which is crucial in the triangle from all players.

ESPN.com's Eamonn Brennan, wrote about Winslow's versatility last month.

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Even at this early date, though, Winslow looks like the connective tissue uniting those disparate pieces. His mix of skills is a weapon in isolated situations -- how many players in the country are both big enough to rebound with Dawson and skilled enough to blow by him off the dribble? -- but more importantly give Krzyzewski an unusual degree of flexibility in his lineups. On offense, Winslow provides aggression and rebounding without pushing into Okafor's space on the low block. On defense, he can switch onto guards without stretching his team's shape. ...

In other words, when he needs to, Winslow can play like a guard, or like a forward. Or both. Often on the same possession. 

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His teammates have lauded him for his high basketball IQ—something the Knicks have lacked tremendously for years. In terms of an NBA comparison, Basketball Insiders' Yannis Koutroupis suggests Jimmy Butler and Luol Deng. 

In 26 minutes per game for Duke this season, the freshman has averaged 12 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting a surprising 38.5 percent on 3-pointers.

The Knicks have been deprived of athletic, defensive wing players for years, and Winslow could be the answer to those prayers next season.

Stanley Johnson

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Staying with the defensive-wing theme, the Knicks would be hard-pressed to find a more capable player than Stanley Johnson from Arizona.

The freshman has averaged 14 points a game on 50 percent shooting and 39 percent shooting from 3, but the eye test is what first grabs your attention.

At 6'7", 245 pounds, Johnson's stature is imposing. His relentlessness on the defensive end could be his primary calling card. With a 6'11" wingspan, he has no problems deflecting passes and using his athleticism to change the game on that end.

There might not be a ton of flashiness to his game, but Johnson brings all the intangibles to the table. He's strong, can finish well and rarely takes a bad shot. Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman helped describe how a player with his frame could fair in today's NBA:

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With that diesel 245-pound frame, Johnson is as physical of a small forward as any out there. And that's comforting from an NBA standpoint, given the size of today's pro wings. Just to put it in perspective, he plays the same position as Andrew Wiggins, 2014's No. 1 pick, and weighs 45 pounds more.

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If Carmelo Anthony is logging minutes at power forward, having impact defenders also in the lineup is key. Johnson would need to work on his jump shot to become even more dependable, but his solid shooting start to begin his freshman season is encouraging.

Karl-Anthony Towns

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If the Knicks end up with the top-three pick they're currently slated for, Karl-Anthony Towns, if available, would be incredibly difficult to pass up.

The team is in need of a center for the long term, and Towns would presumably fill that need. The Kentucky freshman stands at 7'0", 250 pounds, and contributes a unique skillset to the position. 

Though he has good size, he's not overly strong down low on either end. Instead, Towns brings an incredible shooting touch from a big man, which would be useful in the triangle offense. Over 18.8 minutes per game this year, he's averaged 8.5 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 53.8 percent from the floor. 

Another trait that fits Derek Fisher's triangle is Towns' passing ability and knack for making the correct reads. And though he's not a dominant post player, he works hard at being aggressive, though he could stand to develop more strength.

He's neither a lockdown defender nor an elite scorer at this stage, and being just one of John Calipari's lethal weapons this season helps keep defenses from keying on him often. But with so many tools and ideal size, Towns should be a top-five pick in the draft.

Emmanuel Mudiay

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Those stateside might not become familiar with Emmanuel Mudiay until June, but it won't take much longer than that for the 18-year-old to become a household name in NBA conversation.

Similar to Brandon Jennings before him, Mudiay chose to forgo college and signed a $1 million contract to play in China for 2014-15 with the Guangdong Southern Tigers. The point guard was born in Congo but went to prep schools in Texas after coming to the United States in 2001.

He's played in 10 games for Guangdong—averaging 17.6 points, six boards and six assists—but has a sprained ankle and could be cut from the team if he's unable to play soon, leaving him unable to suit up for any team between now and next NBA season, per Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. 

Though Wojnarowski reports that he's only helped his draft stock during his time abroad.

Mudiay is 6'5", 190 pounds and is a true point guard with the ability to score and finish at the rim. His speed and quickness have landed him comparisons to Washington's John Wall.

For the Knicks, who have been searching for stability at point guard since Mark Jackson left in 1992, ending up with the draft's hottest backcourt commodity would be a dream.

Jahlil Okafor

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While the top of this year's draft class has garnered plenty of hype already, Jahlil Okafor has perhaps gotten the most attention so far.

Okafor already boasts an NBA-ready body at 6'11" and 270 pounds. He's averaging 17.1 points and 7.6 rebounds for Duke over eight games and has shot 64.6 percent from the field. On offense, he might be the most polished post player in the NCAA. He has great footwork, good post moves and knows when to pass out of a double-team.

He isn't incredibly athletic on the boards and won't impact the outcome of a game with his defense, but he doesn't project to be a minus in those areas.

Particularly in a lineup with Carmelo Anthony in New York, Okafor would need to be cognizant of the defense, especially when double-teams arrive. Based on his comments this season, namely this from a USA Today column by Nicole Auerbach, the two could make a successful pairing. 

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"The main thing was, I was looking for my teammates. They were talking to me the entire game, and I was just trying to find them," Okafor said. "That's just part of my game. In high school, I was always double- or triple-teamed. I was always passing out of the post."

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The Knicks will have virtually endless possibilities entering draft night. All that we know for sure is all 30 teams would love to have a chance to pencil Okafor in as their first-rounder.