New York Knicks Find Depth Behind Julius Randle in 2024 Mock Draft
The New York Knicks have been quiet on the NBA Draft front in recent seasons, having made no lasting first-round selections since 2021. They've instead used draft day to store future assets, ones that most believe will be used in a trade for an established superstar.
For the time being, the Knicks are poised to hold four picks in the first round of the 2024 draft. In Bleacher Report's latest mock draft, organized by projected win totals from FanDuel, two of those picks turn into back-to-back first-round picks.
In the 19th slot, the mock draft from Jonathan Wasserman has the Knicks selecting forward Bobi Klintman from the Cairns Taipans of Australia's National Basketball League. The 6-10, 20-year-old played his freshman season with Wake Forest and averaged 5.3 points, but has found a larger role in Cairns, averaging 12.7 on 44 percent shooting.
"He's proved to be a comfortable three-point shooter and above-the-rim finisher dating back to last season," Wasserman writes in an accompanying blurb. "But he's starting to show more off-the-dribble offense and passing with the Taipans."
Born in Sweden, Klintman made a four-star recruiting name for himself at Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas. He previously committed to both Maryland and Colorado before his short-lived stint with the Demon Deacons.
Kugel is one of the SEC's most intriguing underclassmen
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One pick later, the Knicks select guard Riley Kugel out of the University of Florida. Through the first two games of the season, the 6-5 shooting guard is averaging 20 points per game and shooting 50 percent from the field. This comes after he averaged just under 10 points in his freshman season last year and was named to the All-SEC Freshman Team. The pick in question is transferred from Dallas and would be the final piece of the Kristaps Porizingis trade from 2019.
These two players would both help the Knicks in a number of different ways and would only make them deeper. Kugel could make a name for himself in a crowded backcourt picture while Klintman would provide much-needed size behind Julius Randle, which has been a point of contention since the trade of Obi Toppin. Time will tell, however, how many picks the Knicks wind up keeping before next year's draft rolls around.
In the meantime, the Knicks (5-4) will hit the road for the next five games, beginning with Monday night's showdown against the Boston Celtics.
