The New York Knicks’ sound moves in the trade and free agency markets dating back to the turn of 2024 don’t tell the whole story of their last five seasons’ worth of decision-making, and a recent mock re-draft rectifies a blunder the Knicks may have made in that time frame.
Bleacher Report created an “Ultimate NBA 5-Year Re-Draft,” with all 30 teams ranked in the draft order based on their win percentage from the 2019-20 NBA season until now. Their panel selected from the pool of players who have entered the league between 2019 and 2023.
With the No. 17 overall pick, the Knicks ended up with San Antonio Spurs sharpshooter Devin Vassell. Jay Dunbar had this to say about Vassell’s hypothetical fit in Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau’s system (h/t Jeremy Brener of New York Knicks on SI):
“His deep shooting should only improve as some of the creation pressure comes off in San Antonio—or in our alternate universe, New York.
And for all of the talk about the leaps some of the stars higher on this list made last year, Vassell should be counted high among them—as evidenced by his down-ballot MIP votes and top-10 leap in LEBRON among fourth-year players, per BBall Index,” Dunbar wrote.
“While he isn’t the Spurs’ best defender and wouldn’t slide into that role in N.Y., he’s averaged 1.1 steals per game over the last three seasons and brings the mentality that would go a long way on Tom Thibodeau’s Nova Knicks.”
Knicks: Five-Year Re-Draft pairs Knicks with constantly improving rising star
The list was not solely predicated around selecting the best available player, as Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant (No. 5) and New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson (No. 7) came in behind talents like Indiana Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton (No. 3) and Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Tyrese Maxey.
Vassell was taken by the Knicks ahead of highly touted Cleveland Cavaliers former All-Star point guard Darius Garland and former standout Knicks Sixth Man of the Year candidate Immanuel Quickley. The 23-year-old wing has gotten considerably better every year that he’s been in the league.
Under the tutelage of legendary Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, the four-year veteran showed his chops as a playmaker, averaging 19.5 points and 4.1 assists per game on an impressive 47.2 percent shooting from the field. Given that he played on a bad team that ran point guard by committee last season, his efficiency, also including his 4.1-1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio as the Spurs’ No. 2 option showed that he can run a team well.
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Knicks: Devin Vassell would be a picture-perfect fit in New York
Vassell is somewhat of a crossbreed between a player like Phoenix Suns All-Star Devin Booker who loves to come off of screens for pull-up jumpers in the half-court but can also facilitate from the top of the key, and a contemporary talent like Brooklyn Nets breakout star Cam Thomas who is liable to catch fire and launch from anywhere on the court.
He would be a perfect fit on the Knicks. Vassell plays fast and moves without the ball. He’d help New York further their initiative to swing the ball around the arc and deviate from isolation and ball domination.
