Trust in Knicks decision-making is at an all-time high.
President Leon Rose, his front office and the scouting department around him have brought a team out of purgatory and turned it into a champion. Their next challenge is to repeat as champions.
And their latest moves were to trade the No. 24 pick in the draft and out of the first round completely, make two second-round picks and trade two other second-rounders.
Usually, much shouldn’t be expected from players drafted in the middle of the second round — where the Knicks selected Jack Kayil (No. 39) and Tyler Nickel (No. 47). But this front office has delivered contributors from similar draft positions recently.
Can they do it again?
“I trust the Knicks — they have a great scouting department,” Fran Fraschilla, the former head coach at Manhattan, St. John’s and New Mexico and now ESPN’s college basketball analyst, who also is part of the network’s NBA draft coverage, told The Post. “They hit on guys like this. … Let’s put it this way, I’ll say this — Walt Perrin and Brock Aller, they know what they’re doing. It’s not a given that either of these guys is gonna be a home run, but I would trust their judgment given their recent track record.”
The 20-year-old Kayil was the higher pick of the two, but most know less about him, given that he has played overseas in Germany for Alba Berlin.
He just recently won the Bundesliga championship with Alba Berlin, recording 10 points, three rebounds and a steal — though on 2-for-11 shooting from the field and 1-for-9 shooting from 3-point range — in the title game against Bayern Munich.
“He’s a big, strong but young point guard who gained a lot of experience in a relatively high-level European league,” Fraschilla, who is also respected as one of the most knowledgeable about overseas basketball, said. “It’s to his credit that he just led his Alba Berlin to an unexpected championship. That’s in his favor. Skillwise, he’s still a work in progress, but his athleticism and toughness give him a chance someday soon to be an NBA player. I’m guessing that the Knicks think he needs a little bit more seasoning. I would be surprised if he was on the roster, but he wouldn’t embarrass himself. But he’s not ready to be a contributor on an NBA championship team.
“He’s improving. He’s headed toward being an NBA player. I don’t know that he’s there yet, but he certainly made a big step this year, winning a championship. He was a focal point as a 20-year-old on a team with men, grown-ups.”
What’s his calling card right now, and where does he most need to grow?
“He’s a point guard. He’s a creative playmaker who has the ability to create his own shot, but his shooting needs to improve,” Fraschilla said. “Having said that, he takes a lot of tough shots, because his team gets low in the shot clock. His shooting definitely needs to improve for him to be viable at some point in the future. I’m sure he’ll work on it.”
Nickel, a 22-year-old forward out of Vanderbilt, perhaps has a lower ceiling but is more ready to potentially contribute right away as a sharpshooter.
“I like his size, his toughness and his shooting,” Fraschilla said. “He’s got the toughness to be an NBA player, and he certainly shoots it well. And I think that’s why they drafted him. He’s not a skinny, 170-pound kid. He’s well put together, very experienced, been to three schools, and was really a good player this year in the SEC. He’s got a quick release, deep range, and he’s fearless. The toughness and the fearlessness, off the bat, give him a chance to make an NBA roster.”
Nickel shot over 40 percent from deep the past two seasons in college. And his mechanics, along with his 6-foot-7 frame, make his shooting something that should be transferable to the NBA.
“He’s got a quick release and he is fearless,” Fraschilla said. “Fearlessly tough with it. He has amnesia after every shot — make or miss. …. Right off the bat, his outside shooting is very translatable.
“I would say lateral quickness, defensively, in the best league in the world will be his primary adjustment. But if you watch YouTube, you’ll see some sneaky athletic dunks.”
There are usually reasons players fall to the second round. But the Knicks have found pieces — like Miles McBride, Mohamed Diawara, Tyler Kolek and Ariel Hukporti — there recently.
Perhaps Kayil or Nickel can be the next examples.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
