Knicks Could Fill PG Hole With USC Star
The New York Knicks are potentially searching for a point guard in the 2024 NBA Draft after the team traded Immanuel Quickley to the Toronto Raptors in the middle of last season for OG Anunoby.
Among the players they could look to draft to fill that void is Isaiah Collier, a former McDonald's All-American who spent his lone collegiate season with the USC Trojans.
"The former No. 2 recruit from the 2023 cycle dealt with a hand injury mid-way through his season at USC that sidelined him for about a month. After his return, Collier showed why he was one of the best freshmen in his class. Collier is a point guard built like a middle linebacker, and his strong frame allows him to bully his way to the rim. The numbers also don't do it justice to how skilled of a passer Collier is," CBS Sports writes.
If Collier hadn't gotten injured in the middle of USC's season, there's a world where he is considered with a top-5 pick in the draft. Now, he could be a mid-to-late first-round pick, which could be in the Knicks' range at Nos. 24 & 25.
Collier is being mocked slightly before these spots, but the Knicks could have the ammunition to trade up a few spots if they really think he could be their guy.
As the No. 2 recruit from last year's high school class, Collier clearly has upside. While it didn't quite translate at USC, there's reason to believe he can succeed at the NBA level. He averaged 16.3 points and 4.3 assists per game in his lone season with the Trojans.
With the Knicks, there's a spot open for someone like Collier to fill the role that Miles McBride held during the first two seasons of his career. McBride will step into Quickley's role that he vacated as the leading scorer off the bench in the backcourt, and Collier will be tabbed as the person who steps up in case of injury.
If Collier can learn the ropes and be patient like McBride was in the first part of his career, he can thrive once an opportunity presents itself to be a bigger contributor in the rotation.
JEREMY BRENER
Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.