Knicks Could Find Biggest NBA Draft Sleeper
There's a lot of mystery surrounding what the New York Knicks will do in the 2024 NBA Draft with the Nos. 24 & 25 picks.
The Knicks don't exactly have an obvious need after winning 50 games and clinching the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference for the playoffs, allowing the team to take the best player available regardless of position.
That player could end up being Dayton forward DaRon Holmes II.
"Holmes had an outstanding season at Dayton, winning All-American honors by averaging 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.1 blocks while hitting 54.4 percent from the field and 38.6 percent from 3," The Athletic writes. "He’s a versatile big who has a lot of answers for opponents’ ball-screen coverages. He can pick-and-pop, short roll to pass, short roll to finish himself or dive all the way to the rim to catch a lob. Defensively, he’s a good shot blocker and has flashed potential to stick with guards for a couple of slides on the perimeter."
Holmes sounds like he could be a potential replacement for Precious Achiuwa, who enters restricted free agency this offseason.
Achiuwa was traded to the Knicks by the Toronto Raptors as part of the OG Anunoby trade in late December. However, he ended up being an important part of the deal. Achiuwa averaged 7.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game for the Knicks in 49 appearances with the team. While the Knicks can match any offer for Achiuwa on the open market, they may not have the cap space to do so after trying to re-sign Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein, who are both unrestricted free agents.
The Knicks may not keep their draft picks, and Holmes may not even be on the board when New York is on the clock, but there's reason to believe a marriage between the two sides could work.
Holmes would likely end up sitting on the bench for most of his rookie season as coach Tom Thibodeau rarely plays first-year players a ton of important minutes. However, the Knicks need depth, and Holmes could provide that in the frontcourt for New York.
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.