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The New York Knicks are focused on their exciting playoff run, but the franchise could also make some noise in the 2024 NBA draft. New York will have two first-round picks thanks to a previous trade with the Dallas Mavericks.
The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor’s latest mock draft projections should excite Knicks fans. In his final mock draft before the NBA lottery, the analyst has the Knicks landing two-time Player of the Year Zach Edey with the No. 25 pick.
“Assuming the Knicks re-sign Isaiah Hartenstein, they’d still have Mitchell Robinson on the roster and wouldn’t really need a big,” O’Connor wrote in a 2024 NBA mock draft updated on May 9, 2024. “But Edey would provide immense size and interior scoring that would give them another style of big in the rotation.”
Knicks Rumors: Zach Edey Would Bring a Lot of Star Power to New York for a Late First-Round Pick
Edey was a walking double-double during his stardom as the Purdue Boilermakers center. The big man posted back-to-back seasons topping 22 points and 12 rebounds.
Edey averaged a career-high 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game during the 2023-24 season. More importantly, Edey was a major reason for Purdue’s March Madness run all the way to the national championship game.
As O’Connor mentioned, the Knicks do not have a massive need for a big man, but Edey’s upside would be too good to pass up. There is still a chance Edey could be a lottery pick and long gone before the Knicks are on the clock late in the draft.
Edey is a bit of a polarizing prospect as a more traditional big man. With NBA teams valuing shooting from their bigs, Edey offers a more traditional back-to-the-basket offensive game and has not displayed the ability to shoot from long range. Even if Edey functioned as a quality reserve big man, the star still has value, especially for a late first-round pick.
NBA Draft 2024: Zach Edey Could Be a Lottery Pick
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo are a bit more bullish on Edey as an NBA pro. The draft duo have Edey as their No. 14 ranked player, putting the center in the potential lottery range.
“Edey remains a known quantity, and how teams value him and which landing spots emerge in the draft will be more a referendum on each front office and coaching staff’s philosophy on how to use his unique strengths,” Woo wrote in a May 2 story titled, “2024 NBA draft rankings: Jonathan Givony’s top 25 prospects.” “Whether Edey emerges as a viable rotation player or becomes more of a situational factor hangs on him landing in an optimal situation for his usage and development.
“His size, strength, competitiveness and touch around the basket will allow him to play impactful minutes, and if he can make more strides on the defensive end, he should be able to carve out a useful niche in the NBA.”
Knicks Rumors: New York Is Also Projected to Land French Forward Pacome Dadiet
This mock had the Knicks with back-to-back selections at No. 24 and No. 25. O’Connor has the Knicks selecting French forward Pacome Dadiet at No. 24 just before snagging Edey.
“There’s no chance in hell that Tom Thibodeau would give Dadiet minutes as a rookie,” O’Connor explained. “But that shouldn’t keep the Knicks from investing in future pieces. Dadiet could benefit from learning in New York’s system, which holds players accountable and rewards them only if they play focused, committed defense.”
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