Knicks Land Kentucky Wing in Early Projection

The New York Knicks could look towards Lexington for their pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Jeremy Brener | Oct 29, 2024

Mar 21, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Brigham Young Cougars guard Jaxson Robinson (2) looks to shoot against Duquesne Dukes in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at CHI Health Center Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

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New York Knicks

The New York Knicks may have traded a bunch of their future draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets over the summer to acquire Mikal Bridges, but the team still has some capital to work with.

Part of their future assets include a second-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft that was originally owned by the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Knicks could look to trade the pick, but in case they don't, Bleacher Report draft analyst Jonathan Wasserman suggests that New York could take Kentucky wing Jaxson Robinson, who was chosen with the No. 49 overall selection.

"Jaxson Robinson's breakout at BYU drew enough NBA interest to earn him an NBA combine invite. He had some solid stretches in Chicago, too, mostly showing off his potential money-making shooting stroke," Wasserman writes. "At 6'6", he shot over 42.0 percent on both spot-up and off-screen threes while occasionally flashing self-creation skill into jumpers and drives. He doesn't offer much playmaking, rim pressure or athletic pop, so he'll look more convincing to teams if he's closer to 40.0 percent from deep than last year's 35.4 percent."

In his last two seasons with BYU, Robinson averaged 11.4 points per game, moving back and forth between starter and reserve roles.

Kentucky hired BYU coach Mark Pope during the spring after John Calipari darted for Arkansas, which means Robinson should expect to be part of the Wildcats' plans early and often this season given his familiarity with the system.

While the Knicks should be more focused on the here and now with their team, it's important to always have an eye towards the future, and Robinson could be a surprise development project that could work in the long run if he continues to work on his game this season in Lexington.

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Published Oct 29, 2024

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.