Knicks' Updated 2021 NBA Draft Targets After Lottery Drawing
Most years, the New York Knicks would have been on pins and needles during the NBA draft lottery.
But when the ping-pong balls were disbursed Tuesday night, the Knicks might have slept through the event. They had nothing at stake since their ahead-of-schedule rebuild skated past the lottery and into a playoff return as the East's No. 4 seed.
Even without participating in the lottery, though, they are heavily invested in this draft. They hold a pair of picks in both the first (Nos. 19 and 21) and second (32 and 58) rounds, and while they probably won't keep all four selections, they could walk away with a couple of prospects they hope can become core members of the franchise.
Assuming their search actually starts at No. 19, the following three players are worth a close look.
Jared Butler, PG/SG, Baylor
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Jared Butler has been referred to a Fitness-To-Play panel and cannot play or practice until he is cleared, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. According to B/R's Jonathan Wasserman, "I'm told Butler had a defibrillator put in for a heart issue years ago, and the NBA is being cautious."
Assuming Butler can get medical clearance, he could become a favorite of the Knicks front office.
Name anything they might want out of a guard prospect, and he has it. He can run offense, but he doesn't dominate the ball—a big trait for anyone playing alongside Julius Randle and RJ Barrett. Butler defends at a level head coach Tom Thibodeau would approve of and offers enough shot-creation to help prop up New York's 22nd-ranked defense.
The fact that Butler just helped lead a championship run at Baylor should not be overlooked by a regime in the middle of a culture change. They want winners, and that's exactly what he is.
Tre Mann, PG/SG, Florida
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The Knicks need bucket-getters. When Randle and Barrett struggled in their firsts tests against playoff defenses, they didn't have many places to turn other than 32-year-old Derrick Rose.
New York could scratch multiple itches by getting its shot-creator at the lead guard spot since Rose is on the back nine of his career and Immanuel Quickley functions more like a combo guard. Tre Mann has a chance to check those boxes.
The 6'5" guard is an effortless shot-creator. He not only has the handles to ditch defenders, he has the pull-up touch to make the most of that separation. While not a turbo-charged athlete, he has enough zip to get past his defender and has the creativity to finish in the paint. When he doesn't have the ball in his hand, he still draws defensive attention because of the 40.2 percent splash rate he showed this season.
He isn't the most physical player around, and he would need to rev up his defensive motor to get on Thibodeau's good side. But if Mann pans out, he can fill multiple roles and, if everything breaks just right, perhaps play a starring one down the line.
Sharife Cooper, PG, Auburn
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Notice a pattern among these prospects?
It's no coincidence all three are either point guards or can at least play the position. The Knicks have too many resources available this offseason not to bulk up the primary backcourt spot.
If they aren't scared off by Sharife Cooper's lack of size (listed at 6'1", 180 lbs), he could be the floor general they need. In only 12 contests at Auburn, he averaged 20.2 points and 8.1 assists.
"His character and his hard work clearly shined through his lone season with us," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl told reporters. "... He is a once-in-a-generation point guard who has an uncanny ability to score and help others score."
Cooper is a relentless attacker (double-digit free-throw attempts in half of his games) with great vision and a willingness to share the basketball. If the Knicks see better days ahead for his shooting—while he only shot 39.1 percent from the field and 22.8 from deep, he did make 82.5 percent of his free throws—they might buy him as a long-term offensive engineer.
