All Knicks

Analyst Questions Knicks Draft Decision

The New York Knicks caused some heads to scratch when it came to the 2024 NBA Draft.

Jeremy Brener

Nov 18, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Pacome Dadiet (4) during the third quarter against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Nov 18, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Pacome Dadiet (4) during the third quarter against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
In this story:

The New York Knicks have had a transformative year, one in which they became much closer to contending for a championship.

They were aggressive on the trade market, acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges during the summer, but they didn't have that same mindset during the 2024 NBA Draft.

Bleacher Report writer Zach Buckley criticized the Knicks' decision to take a project in Pacome Dadiet in the first round instead of someone who was more capable of helping sooner.

"They entered with two first-round picks (Nos. 24 and 25), traded one away and spent the other on a long-term-project prospect in Pacome Dadiet, who could be years away from logging significant minutes on a good team," Buckley writes.

"There were plug-and-play options on the board—Ryan Dunn waves hello—but New York bet big on upside. That's fine in a vacuum, but it's not as great when it was the one deviation from the win-right-now principle that guided the rest of the Knicks' offseason."

While the Knicks could have had a different approach for the draft, it did align with coach Tom Thibodeau and his philosophy on rookies. Thibodeau is notorious for smaller rotations and not giving rookies much playing time, so taking a more experienced collegiate player like Dunn could have been a desired move, but it wouldn't have made much sense given the coach.

Even though Dadiet hasn't done much in his first season in the NBA averaging 1.6 points per game in just 12 appearances so far with the Knicks, he is developing in the G League in hopes of becoming a strong player in the league someday down the line.

The Knicks are back in action tomorrow night as they take on the Utah Jazz at Madison Square Garden. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

Published
Jeremy Brener
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.

Home/News