Iowa State Star Lands With NBA Champion Knicks in Mock Draft

The Iowa State Cyclones have two players who are going to be in the mix to hear their names called during the 2026 NBA Draft: forward Joshua Jefferson and point guard Tamin Lipsey.

Of the two, Jefferson has the better odds of being selected. He is a lock to hear his name called at some point; it just comes down to whether or not a team is going to pull the trigger in the first round or not.

His range is somewhere in the 20s at the backend of the first or in the 30s as a top selection in the second round. Plenty of mocks have had him going to the Boston Celtics at No. 27, but a recent two-round mock from Jeremy Woo of ESPN has the Cyclones star falling out of the first round.

Alas, it isn’t by much that he misses by. If things shake out in the fashion which Woo has predicted in his most recent mock draft, Jefferson is landing in a great spot with the NBA champion, the New York Knicks.

Joshua Jefferson lands with Knicks in NBA mock draft

Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson (5) drives to the basket around Texas Tech Red Raiders forward LeJuan Watts. — Mar 12, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson (5) drives to the basket around Texas Tech Red Raiders forward LeJuan Watts (3) during the second half at T-Mobile Center. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

With the No. 31 overall pick, the first selection of the second round, the Iowa State star heads to the Big Apple. This would be a great landing spot for him because he would not be landing with a team that will be contending right away, but he could find his way into the rotation instantly.

Knicks head coach Mike Brown showed during his first year at the helm that he isn’t afraid to give players a chance to prove themselves. Rookies were part of his rotation throughout the regular season before things tightened up for the postseason run.

Jefferson has some skills that could help a team win right now. His playmaking ability from the frontcourt is excellent. He could operate as someone capable of running the offense from different spots on the court.

He would also provide the New York roster with some much-needed size in the frontcourt. They don’t have a traditional power forward on the roster, but that would change with Jefferson, who measured in at 6-foot-9 and 240 pounds at the NBA combine.

The Cyclones star needs to continue working on his 3-point shooting to lock down a spot in an NBA rotation, but he showed improvement during his senior year with Iowa State, making 34.5% of his attempts.

As one NBA scout pointed out, he has to be more aggressive, showing a willingness to attempt them because some of what he did under T.J. Otzelberger to find success offensively won’t work at the next level.

Landing with the Knicks would be an ideal outcome for Jefferson, who fits their mold as a team-first player that can get after it on the defensive end. Being able to play alongside Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns to maximize their stars is what the front office is seeking, and Jefferson would provide it.

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