5 Prospects NY Knicks Must Target After NBA Draft Lottery Results

The New York Knicks are selecting No. 9 at the NBA Draft, so wake up from those Luka Doncic daydreams and smell the coffee, Knicks fans.

It isn't the finest imported espresso, but it's a full-bodied dark roast that goes down smooth. Maybe even a cold brew. OK, probably not a cold brew, but definitely better than the burnt dirt, stewed cigarettes, and full-of-itself "low-foam" swill served up by baristas, bodegas and unattended burners across town.

The 2018 draft is deep and the Knicks' roster isn't complete enough for the front office to get too finicky about fit. Although New York is currently overloaded with young point guards, Scott Perry and Steve Mills should still pay attention to a few PGs in this draft class.

That said, the Knicks' greatest need is a wing who can defend and score on the perimeter. They need a player with competitive spirit and personality, but with the maturity to handle New York. And they plain need more talent.

Here are a few young players who fit those descriptions, might still be available at No. 9 and could give a much-needed caffeination to the Knicks' sluggish roster.

Khyri Thomas, G, Creighton, Junior, 6'3"

If you like what Frank Ntilikina's skills and 7-foot wingspan have done for perimeter defense but are looking for something with a little more three-point shooting, then can I interest you in a Khyri Thomas?

The 6'3" junior combo guard from Creighton with the 6'10" wingspan was the Big East Defensive Player of the Year two years in a row, and also shoots 53.8 percent from the floor, averaging 15.1 points per game.

Thomas' grinding, scrapping, relentless defense was lovingly dubbed "Khyrifense" by the Creighton fans. He stalks ball-handlers, contests shots, picks pockets, intercepts passing lanes and pressures opponents into the sort of boneheaded behavior that makes a man into a meme.

He has also been taking extra care to prep for his interviews with NBA teams, as well, which shows a business savvy that can take a young player a long way past the rookie wall.

Mikal Bridges, SF, Villanova, Junior, 6'8"

There may be no player in the draft who better suits the Knicks' top needs than Mikal Bridges.

The Villanova junior small forward is every inch a two-way player: He was 2016-17 Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year award (with Khyri Thomas) his sophomore season, and averaged 17.7 points per game, 43.5 percent from long range as a junior.

He was an essential component of a championship team with perfectly executed fundamentals of spacing and off-ball movement. His catch-and-shoot is confident and efficient, his dunks gutsy, and his 7'0" wingspan used to its best advantage.

Bridges sees the big moment, sees what it needs and makes a big play. That's the sort of thing that a championship squad requires, and one of the reasons Bridges' Villanova head coach Jay Wright raved about him, per the New York Post's Marc Berman:

"He got huge offensive rebounds at the end to win games for us. He got big steals at the end of a game, a defensive rebound. He got everything. It’s having a feel for what play needs to be made when the game is on the line and being able to do it. ... He worked hard. He was coachable. He had great character, when he had success he stayed humble. He was very focused, very disciplined. He had every great characteristic."

Bridges is the safe choice...but in his case, safe is not boring.

Collin Sexton, PG, Alabama

Collin Sexton only looks like a 6'2" point guard; he's actually an ancient elemental creature that consists solely of competitive spirit.

"It's no friends, it's us against them, it's time to go," Sexton said in an ESPN interview at the NBA Draft Combine. "We're trying to win. There's no buddy-buddy. Whatever it takes to win the game, it's gonna happen."

When the freshman and two of his Alabama teammates found themselves playing three-on-five versus Minnesota for the last 10:41 Nov. 27, Sexton led his team on a 26-16 run and earned himself a Twitter shout-out from Dwyane Wade. 

"Collin Sexton could be a single team just by himself," Minnesota coach Richard Pitino said after the game.

Sexton points downhill, attacks the basket relentlessly and finishes strong. He's a gifted, creative slasher and one of the most athletic, explosive talents in the draft.

However, being an elemental creature made of pure spirit and flame lends itself really well to explosion, but less so to finesse plays or running half-court offenses. Sexton will have to learn to contain himself a bit in the NBA in order to learn those skills. But what Sexton does have are things that cannot be taught.

And for once it would be nice for the Knicks to sign an elitely athletic driving point guard before his knees give out.

Zhaire Smith, SG, Texas Tech, Freshman, 6'4"

Zhaire Smith can fly. The hurly-burly acrobatics of the Texas Tech freshman wing (6'5", 195 lbs.) are reminiscent of John Starks, and now that Smith seems to be making efforts to spruce up his three-point shot, the comparison is even harder for aging Knicks fans like myself to resist.

The main knock against him is that he didn't attempt many triples last season, which was acceptable while a swingman in college, but after measuring in at a comparatively shrimpy 6'4" at the combine, he'll probably play more guard and therefore need a stronger long ball.

So, big deal. A lot of players can develop a three-pointer in the NBA. Almost no player can develop the vision and hangtime to finish a 360-degree alley-oop in the NCAA Tournament.

Smith isn't just athletic, he's aggressive with drives and dunks that are courageous and gutsy. He's a clever slasher and has exceptional instincts for distributing to teammates. Plus he uses all that bounce on the defensive end as well, protecting the rim with his 6'4" frame and averaging 4.8 boards per game.

Dzanan Musa, SF, Bosnia & Herzegovina

Dzanan Musa himself calls it "very, very questionable." Others call it "thin and usual" and "peculiar ... with a slight hunch back."

So, there are issues with Dzanan Musa's 19-year-old body. That hasn't stopped the Bosnian small forward from also being called the best European scorer of his generation.

With a unique stroke that sometimes looks lovely and sometimes like he's ejecting a spring-loaded pinball, Musa has averaged a startling 61 percent from two-point range this season, 34 percent from three-point range for Cedevita, which competes in EuroCup, the Adriatic League and the Croatian League.

As noted by ESPN's Jonathan Givony, "Musa is just the sixth player in Adriatic League history to average more than 20 points per 40 minutes as a teenager, joining Goran Dragic, Nikola Jokic, Dario Saric, Ante Zizic and Jusuf Nurkic."

His jumper, his layup, his floater are all powerful, confident and surprising since they don't look great going in. And if his back is "peculiar," well, so what—one of Usain's Bolt's legs is longer than the other, and it worked out all right for him. Musa did however describe to ESPN's Mike Schmitz in January efforts that he and physicians are making to smooth out those kinks, which would also make it easier for him to bulk up for the NBA.

Musa's professional experience could also help him make the transition to the league, just as it did for other of the poised Europeans the Knicks have drafted. When Schmitz asked where he wanted to see himself five years from now, Musa very calmly responded "to be the best player in the world." And it sounded both very believable and very New York.

All these players have lovable qualities to me, but Knicks fans have been burned by love before. You may be thinking, do the Knicks really need another player with a body that might not be trustworthy? Or another point guard that won't work out? Or another shooting guard with a wobbly three ball? Or another "role player"?

But have some heart, New York. All of these five have the potential to be more than that. They might even be a cold brew.