The New York Knicks will select eighth in the 2020 NBA Draft after falling two spots in Thursday night’s draft lottery.
According to Ian Begley of SNY, Florida State wing Devin Vassell “has some fans” in the Knicks organization.
Vassell, a two-year player at Florida State, saw his minutes spike last season, going from 10.7 minutes in his freshman season to 28.8 minutes per contest in his sophomore season. Last season he started all 30 games he appeared in.
Vassell averaged 12.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.4 steals and one block per game while shooting 49.0 percent from the field, 41.5 percent from beyond the arc and 73.8 percent from the free throw line in his sophomore season.
The Knicks will select in the top 10 of the NBA Draft for the fourth consecutive year. Last year they selected Duke wing RJ Barrett with the third pick; the year prior they selected Kentucky forward Kevin Knox with the ninth pick; in 2017 they selected French point guard Frank Ntilikina with the eighth pick.
The Knicks have three selections in this year’s draft: their own first-round pick, the Los Angeles Clippers’ first rounder (27) and the Charlotte Hornets’ second rounder (38).
Wings who could be available at eight include Vassell, Deni Avdija, Auburn’s Isaac Okoro, Villanova’s Saddiq Bey and Vanderbilt’s Aaron Nesmith.
Another option for the Knicks is selecting a lead guard at eight. Guards who could be available at eight include Killian Hayes, UNC’s Cole Anthony, Iowa State’s Tyrese Haliburton, Kentucky’s Tyrese Maxey and Alabama’s Kira Lewis.
New team president Leon Rose stated that Barrett and center Mitchell Robinson are “two young core pieces.” Rose and the Knicks hired former Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau to patrol the team’s sideline. They’ve added former Kentucky assistant Kenny Payne and former Utah Jazz assistant Johnnie Bryant to Thibodeau’s staff.
The NBA Draft is scheduled to take place on Oct. 16.