Knicks Already Putting Latest Break to Use With Big Pre-Draft Workout

The Knicks worked out several prospects on Tuesday. | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

The Knicks have some serious time to kill (again) after sweeping the Cavaliers on Monday. The NBA Finals won't begin until Wednesday, June 3, giving the team a ton of time to not only recover, but prepare for either the Spurs or Thunder.

Yet, that's not the only way New York is using this break to its advantage. On Tuesday, SNY's Ian Begley reported the Knicks brought in several prospects for pre-draft workouts. This group included Arkansas’ Meleek Thomas, Baylor’s Tounde Yessoufou, South Florida's Izaiyah Nelson, BYU’s Keba Keita, Missouri’s Mark Mitchell and Akron’s Amani Lyles.

Their talent ranges from possible first-round selections to dart throws in the second round, but the fact that they're all potentially draftable players shows New York is getting serious about its research, with the event just a month away.

Knicks' latest pre-draft workout group features mix of first- and second-round targets

Thomas and Yessoufou are the two biggest names among this crop. The former had immediate success as a freshman with the Razorbacks, averaging 15.6 points per game while shooting 41.6% from deep. At 6-foot-5, he presents an intriguing scoring option with size who can find his spots no matter where he is on the floor.

Yessoufou is cut from a similar cloth. He even had a better scoring year (17.8 ppg) as a freshman, while using his 6-foot-5 frame to corral 5.9 rpg. However, he's much more of a rim attacker, as he posted a dismal 29.3% from three-point land in 2025-26. The Benin native wasn't shy about his three-point attempts (5.3 per game), which provides hope that he'll be able to improve that part of his game.

Nelson provides a mid-second-round option for Leon Rose. Though he's an older prospect after spending four seasons in college, the development and hunger to get better were clearly there. This resulted in the 6-foot-10 forward having a career year in 2025-26 with 15.9 ppg and an American Conference-leading 9.6 rpg. He is ultra-efficient with the ball in his hands as well, as evidenced by his career 58.0% from the field in the collegiate ranks.

The trio of Keita, Mitchell, and Lyles represents the contenders for New York's No. 55 selection, which will be a shot in the dark on a prospect who has some upside. Keita has been a fixture on the boards of Pac-12 play over the last four seasons, though he's limited offensively and lacks size (6-foot-8) to make up for that.

Mitchell is right on the cusp between going undrafted and hearing his name called. His rangy, athletic skill set projects to make him an impactful defender at the next level. However, despite averaging 18.3 ppg this season, his lack of a three-point shot will severely cap his upside if he can't put it together from deep.

Lyles is like the rest of this trio that needed a bit more seasoning in college before taking off. He finally became a double-digit scorer in 2025-26, posting a very solid 14.9 ppg and a MAC-leading 62.7% effective field goal percentage.

He's still a bit of an unknown given the lesser competition he faced and only teases of good shooting (37.3% from three, 71.6% from the line this year), but his 1.7 stocks (steals + blocks) this season and 6-foot-7 frame give him things to bring to the table at the next level.

It's great to see the Knicks' extended rest providing more than just playoff-focused benefits for the franchise. They haven't been allowed as much of a chance to center in on the draft despite owning three picks, but finding these windows will make sure other teams don't get as much of a scouting edge before June.