Knicks Draft Frank Ntilikina #8, Damyean Dotson #44, and Ognjen Jaramaz #58

The New York Knicks walked into the draft with the league abuzz about the prospect of the franchise doing something drastic and frankly devastating stupid. However the evening was a humdrum affair for New Yorkers, as the team selected two guards, and more importantly didn’t trade away their prize jewel. Let’s overlook the Porzingis-Jackson kerfuffle for now and concentrate on the two players the Knicks acquired.

Although yours truly had hopes for Dennis Smith Jr., and the NC State guard was available at #8, Ntilikina offers a similar ray of hope for the team. I preferred Smith because he was more of a known quantity. College stats offer up a better translation to the pros, and Junior had the right numbers in the right places to indicate probable success in the NBA. European stats are harder to transcribe, as witnessed by ESPN giving Frank both the highest probability to become an All Star and the highest probability for failure as well.

And while I would have gone with the surer choice, the Knicks went with the higher ceiling pick for the second draft in a row. In the end, New York still picked up a point guard, something that has been a need for the team for most of it’s post-Clyde history.

There’s no point in trying to figure out who Ntilikina is yet. The youngling hasn’t even turned 19! The first chance we’ll really get will be in summer league, where he’ll play against more NBA-worthy competition. Even still it could take a season or two before he really grows into his skin, both literally and figuratively. So we may have to wait until 2019 before we understand what kind of NBA player he’ll be.

New York’s second selection was guard Damyean Dotson from Houston. On first glance Dotson’s profile seems underrated for a late second rate pick. His RSB/40 (rebounds+steals+blocks per 40 minutes) is 9.3, well over what you’d want from a shooting guard. But further inspection shows that the number is nearly all rebounding (8.1 reb/40), so Dotson is mediocre in steals and lacking in blocked shots. A quick scan of Houston’s team minutes show that Dotson played more 3 than 2, which might pad his rebounding rate. Hence his athleticism is questionable.

Additionally scouting reports reveal that his offensive game is mostly from jumpshots, and not drives, another knock on his physical ability.

While a fairly versatile shot maker, Dotson doesn’t bring all that much in terms of NBA level creation ability, and tends to live off of contested looks (jumpers were 84.5% of his field goal attempts last year). Bouncy in the open floor, Dotson’s athleticism doesn’t always translate to the half court and he isn’t overly advanced on the ball, evident by his 0.46 PPP in pick and roll, 0.65 PPP in isolations and 2.0 free throw attempts per 40 minutes. Dotson will really have to be a knockdown shooter from the NBA line to have offensive value…

The good news is that Dotson has the size and three point shooting (44.1% his senior year) to be a 3-and-D player. Of course much like Ntilikina, the answer to Dotson’s future is better learned once he suits up in Orlando. Until then Knick fans will just have to hope and wonder on the prospects of their two newest players.

As for the third, Ognjen Jaramaz, New Yorkers might have to wait a little longer. Jaramaz doesn’t really stand out in any area, as the first paragraph of DraftExpress’ profile of him seems to concentrate on everything else but Ognjen.

Among the top performers from this past weekend’s adidas Eurocamp, Ogjen Jaramaz is a member of the top-heavy 1995-born generation that is automatically eligible for the 2017 NBA Draft. A staple of Beobasket-run Serbian prospect-haven Mega Leks, Jaramaz is one of the lone holdovers who has played alongside all of the club’s recent NBA Draftees; Nemanja Dangubic, Nikola Jokic, Vasilije Micic, Rade Zagorac, Timothe Luwawu, and Ivica Zubac. Averaging 12.2 points and 3.5 assists per game this season, Jaramaz had a solid season with Mega before his strong showing at the Eurocamp. Earning quite a bit of attention from NBA scouts in a down year for international prospects, Jaramaz may be the favorite to emerge from the secondary tier of automatically eligible prospects, which typically produces at least a few picks, to hear his name called late on draft night.

My guess is that the team stashes him in Europe for a year or two before calling him over. It’s possible he’ll compete in summer leagues, and perhaps he even joins Westchester as well. But I don’t see him in a NBA game any time soon.

Knicks Morning News (2017.06.23)

  • [ESPN] Knicks owner James Dolan sang the blues — literally — during Thursday’s NBA draft
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 3:27:10 PM)

    Knicks owner James Dolan sang the blues — literally — during Thursday’s NBA draft

  • [ESPN] Jackson extols Ntilikina’s hoops IQ, ‘athleticism’
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 9:51:13 PM)

    Jackson extols Ntilikina’s hoops IQ, ‘athleticism’

  • [ESPN] Youth served as record 16 freshmen go in 1st
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 8:06:15 PM)

    Youth served as record 16 freshmen go in 1st

  • [ESPN] Sources: Celtics, Knicks talk Porzingis trade
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 4:48:08 PM)

    Sources: Celtics, Knicks talk Porzingis trade

  • [ESPN] Draft prospect: Phil dozed during my workout
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 2:20:19 PM)

    Draft prospect: Phil dozed during my workout

  • [NYDN] Knicks draft Frank Ntilikina with No. 8 overall pick in NBA Draft
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 10:01:51 PM)

    There was a lot of chatter about the Knicks acquiring a higher pick in a blockbuster.

  • [NYDN] Clear after draft that Carmelo Anthony doesn’t fit Knicks’ plans
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 9:32:59 PM)

    Not that it was in doubt, but the draft reinforced that Carmelo Anthony doesn’t fit into New York’s plans.

  • [NYDN] Phil Jackson gets guy, but far from over with Kristaps Porzingis
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 9:30:52 PM)

    The trade talks and Phil Jackson’s acknowledgment that they were fielding calls was the Knicks way of retaliating.

  • [NYDN] Knicks select Damyean Dotson, Ognjen Jaramaz in second round
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 9:29:00 PM)

    He’s a shooter who can help spread the floor, averaging 17.4 points as a senior.

  • [NYDN] ‘Don’t Trade Porzingis’ billboard goes up across street from MSG
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 8:20:51 PM)

    Phil Jackson can’t even get home court advantage in New York City.

  • [NYDN] Infamous kid who booed Kristaps Porzingis back at NBA Draft
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 8:01:24 PM)

    What a difference two years makes.

  • [NYDN] Dick Vitale rips Knicks president Phil Jackson
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 6:59:28 PM)

    Dick Vitale is not a fan of Phil Jackson, and the energetic basketball announcer called out the Knicks’ team president Thursday night

  • [NYDN] 6 things to know about this NBA Draft’s first round
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 1:40:00 PM)

    With the NBA Draft Thursday night, here are six interesting facts to know about the first round.

  • [NYDN] Michael Rapaport on ugly Jackson-Porzingis feud, Odell’s antics
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 11:27:45 AM)

    New York City-born actor and comedian Michael Rapaport has a few choice opinions about the Zen Master’s job performance.

  • [NYDN] Phil Jackson was falling asleep during a top prospect’s workout
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 11:05:30 AM)

    The Knicks’ president may not have the best first-hand knowledge when it comes to making a decision.

  • [NYDN] Daughter of Bucks owner attempts to recruit Kristaps Porzingis
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 10:31:08 AM)

    With rumors swirling about a potential Kristaps Porzingis trade, people are flocking to Twitter to recuit the Latvian.

  • [NYDN] Knicks asking price for Porzingis too high for Celtics – for now
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 10:15:21 AM)

    The Celtics, as of now, are unwilling to meet his asking price, which would include two draft picks the Daily News has learned.

  • [NYDN] Stephen A. Smith slams Phil for signing Odom, ‘who was on crack!’
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 10:00:28 AM)

    Stephen A. Smith isn’t buying Phil Jackson’s master plan for the Knicks either.

  • [NYPost] Phil gets message: ‘Don’t trade Porzingis’ billboard outside MSG
    (Friday, June 23, 2017 12:30:28 AM)

    Phil Jackson was a the Knicks’ offices in Tarrytown for the NBA draft Thursday night, but right outside Madison Square Garden, he was under attack. A digital billboard pleading with the Knicks to keep Kristaps Porzingis went live at the corner of 33rd and 7th. The pleas, of course, were answered as Porzingis made it…

  • [NYPost] Knicks snag two more guards in the second round of NBA draft
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 9:18:06 PM)

    Knicks president Phil Jackson talked about wanting guards in the draft and pulled off a trifecta. After nabbing point guard Frank Ntilikina in the lottery, Jackson took two guards in the second round, including a 6-foot-6 shooting guard with a sketchy past but a solid offensive game. With the 44th pick, the Knicks tabbed Damyean…

  • [NYPost] Scorer who ‘plays like Michael’ Jordan surprised Knicks passed
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 7:50:50 PM)

    Knicks fans weren’t alone in their disappointment over the team’s first-round pick. “I actually thought the Knicks would take me,” said Malik Monk, a high-scoring shooting guard out of Kentucky. Instead, they went with French point guard Frank Ntilikina with the eighth-overall pick in Thursday night’s NBA draft. The selection got a mixed reaction, cheers…

  • [NYPost] Knicks’ draft just put Porzingis on different kind of hot seat
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 6:17:10 PM)

    So the sky didn’t fall on Madison Square Garden Thursday evening, and cooler heads prevailed. The Knicks weren’t able to pull off a heist, and neither were they snookered into a bad trade. There will be no charts and graphs recalling Bill Russell for Easy Ed Macauley, or Joe Barry Carroll for Robert Parrish and…

  • [NYPost] Knicks draft intriguing French point guard Frank Ntilikina
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 4:27:12 PM)

    The Knicks kept the Latvian and added a Frenchman. After failing to reach a blockbuster for Kristaps Porzingis, the Knicks selected 18-year-old point guard Frank Ntilikina with the No. 8 pick in Thursday’s NBA draft, hoping they have their future triangle operator. The Knicks had four Europeans on their roster last season, and Ntilikina, dressed…

  • [NYPost] The whirlwind 24 hours for Knicks’ French draft target
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 10:26:46 AM)

    French point guard and potential Knicks draft pick Frank Ntilikina was up at 7 a.m. Thursday morning doing basketball drills at the gym Carmelo Anthony owns at the apartment complex in which Kristaps Porzingis and Sasha Vujacic live. The workout was run by Chris Brickley, who left the Knicks as player developmental coach two months…

  • [NYPost] Phil Jackson fell asleep at my workout: top NBA Draft pick
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 10:21:55 AM)

    Phil Jackson has made some baffling moves since taking over as president of the Knicks in 2014. As recently as this week, the Zen Master confirmed he would consider trading franchise player Kristaps Porzingis. All of it has led Knicks fans, among others, to question just what the heck Jackson’s problem is. Turns out the…

  • [NYPost] Phil Jackson’s pal makes it personal with Kristaps Porzingis
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 8:27:36 AM)

    Charley Rosen, Phil Jackson’s longtime confidant, offered a counter-argument in his column before Thursday’s draft on why Kristaps Porzingis may need to be traded. Rosen, a former assistant coach with the Albany Patroons, normally has the pulse of the Zen Master and predicted over the winter that Carmelo Anthony had “outlived his usefulness in New…

  • [NY Newsday] NBA Draft: Knicks take Frank Ntilikina, French point guard, No. 8 overall
    (Friday, June 23, 2017 12:55:48 AM)

    GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Kristaps Porzingis remains on the Knicks’ roster and has a new guard to pass him the ball.

  • [NY Newsday] NBA Draft 2017 live chat recap
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 10:50:00 PM)

    The 2017 NBA draft finally has arrived.

  • [NYTimes] Bulls and Timberwolves Upstage Draft With Jimmy Butler Trade
    (Friday, June 23, 2017 4:17:50 AM)

    There were no big surprises among the early selections in the draft, but Chicago sent Butler, a three-time All Star, to Minnesota.

  • [NYTimes] N.B.A. Prospect Knows What It’s Like to Be a Pro (but in Baseball)
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 5:30:23 PM)

    Donovan Mitchell Jr., the son of the Mets’ director of player relations, is a 6-foot-3 guard with a 6-10 wingspan, a cool nickname and a chance to be a lottery pick.

  • [NYTimes] Stephon Marbury Stars as Himself in Chinese Hoops Biopic
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 10:29:10 PM)

    The former N.B.A. player has become a beloved celebrity since decamping for professional basketball in China, and a sequel is in the works.

  • [NYTimes] On Pro Basketball: Lakers Have a Plan While the Knicks Hold Triangle Tryouts
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 1:59:49 PM)

    While the pieces seem to be falling into place in Los Angeles, turmoil surrounds the directionless Knicks and their president, Phil Jackson.

  • [NYTimes] Knicks Choose Frank Ntilikina of France in the Draft, Avoiding a Dramatic Twist
    (Friday, June 23, 2017 4:32:55 AM)

    Ntilikina, 18, was an intriguing first-round pick, but his selection was almost anticlimactic after days of speculation that the Knicks might trade Kristaps Porzingis.

  • [NYTimes] ‘Bizarre and Unusual’: Readers Respond to Helicopter Parenting
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 11:04:41 PM)

    We asked readers to send us their stories about being a helicopter parent, having such a parent or seeing the phenomenon play out in their workplace.

  • [SNY Knicks] Knicks select PG Frank Ntilikina in first round of NBA Draft
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 8:25:44 PM)

    The Knicks selected point guard Frank Ntilinkina with the eighth overall pick in the first round of the NBA Draft on Thursday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

  • [SNY Knicks] GEICO SportsNite: Ntilikina reacts to being drafted by Knicks
    (Friday, June 23, 2017 2:53:49 AM)

    Frank Ntilikina reacts to being drafted by Knicks on GEICO SportsNite.

  • [SNY Knicks] Knicks pick Frank Ntilikina could be perfect fit for the triangle
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 9:00:25 PM)

    Unable to trade up in the lottery, the Knicks held on to the No. 8 pick and selected French point guard Frank Ntilikina, who was promptly greeted with a mix of cheers and boos when his name was announced by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver at Barclays Center.

  • [SNY Knicks] GEICO SportsNite: Reflecting on the Knicks draft night
    (Friday, June 23, 2017 3:05:31 AM)

    GEICO SportsNite looks back on the Knicks draft night.

  • [SNY Knicks] Knicks select SG Damyean Dotson with 44th overall pick in NBA draft
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 11:43:52 PM)

    The Knicks selected SG Knicks SG Damyean Dotson with 44th overall pick in the second round of the NBA Draft on Thursday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

  • [SNY Knicks] Knicks select Ognjen Jaramaz with No. 58 pick
    (Friday, June 23, 2017 12:35:10 AM)

    The Knicks selected Serbian point guard Ognjen Jaramaz with the 58th overall pick.

  • [SNY Knicks] Celtics send trade offers for Porzingis, but neither side is close: report
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 6:30:30 PM)

    Multiple teams — including the Celtics — have been engaging the Knicks in trade talks for Kristaps Porzingis, but none are willing to meet the Knicks’ demands yet.

  • [SNY Knicks] Daily News Live: What to expect from Knicks on draft night
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 6:16:43 PM)

    What will the Knicks do on draft night?

  • [SNY Knicks] PG Frank Ntilikina high on Knicks’ Draft board
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 4:30:43 PM)

    French prospect, PG Frank Ntilikina, met with the Knicks Wednesday morning, according to Adam Zagoria.

  • [SNY Knicks] Knicks owner James Dolan to skip NBA Draft for concert with his band
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 12:16:40 PM)

    Knicks owner, James Dolan, won’t be present for the 2017 NBA Draft because his band “JD & The Straight Shot” have a show to perform, per CBS Sports’ Jack Maloney.

  • [SNY Knicks] Teams using Twitter to recruit Kristaps Porzingis
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 12:35:41 PM)

    Since the news of the Knicks possibly trading away F Kristaps Porzingis surfaced, teams have taken to social media to recruit the young star, per NY Post’s Jaclyn Hendricks.

  • [SNY Knicks] Duke’s Luke Kennard says he would fit well in Knicks’ triangle
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 10:18:07 AM)

    Duke SG Luke Kennard thinks he can work well in the Knicks’ triangle offense after his workout with the team last week, per NY Daily News’ Daniel Popper.

  • [SNY Knicks] GEICO SportsNite: Is NYC still the mecca of basketball?
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 1:05:40 PM)

    SNY’s Eamon McAnaney reports on the state of basketball in New York City, which may be losing its claim as the epicenter of hoops talent.

  • [SNY Knicks] New York Sports Today: Knicks keep Porzingis for now
    (Thursday, June 22, 2017 9:26:25 AM)