Detroit Pistons: How will other team needs effect their pick?

#6 New York Knicks

Pick Odds: Pick 1 (9%), Pick 2 (9.2%), Pick 3 (9.4%), Pick 4 (9.6%), Pick 6 (8.6%), Pick 7 (29.8%), Pick 8 (20.6%), Pick 9 (3.7%), Pick 10 (0.1%), Average pick of 5.5
Biggest Needs: Point Guard, Star Power
Big Board: LaMelo Ball, Killian Hayes, Cole Anthony, Tyrese Haliburton

The Knicks are the first team whose selection would impact the Pistons’ selection with their glaring hole at the point guard position. Starting the likes of Dennis Smith Jr., Elfrid Payton, and Frank Ntilikina at point guard this season will not work.

The Knicks are currently set on wings and their front court so the many point guards in this draft means the Knicks will have to pick their style and type of point guard they’re looking forward.

LaMelo Ball is the clear best option but with the Knicks looking to bring in Tom Thibodeau, that could be a disaster. LaMelo Ball’s defensive woes and lack of effort on that side of the floor would be exacerbated by Thibodeau’s coaching style of playing starters for nearly 40 minutes a night.

That being said, LaMelo could just outsize opposing guards due to his height and length standing at 6’6”, and his offensive game is unmatched in this draft. He can slash and finish at the rim like Ben Simmons and can shoot threes with the range of Steph Curry or Damian Lillard.

Another major plus is that he has years of experience playing against superior competition and being in the spotlight for just as long, so he won’t have any issues in New York.

With this point guard class there’s a range from all defense, limited offense to all offense, limited defense.

Tyrese Haliburton is the most defensive and complete point guard, drawing comparisons to Lonzo Ball, while Cole Anthony and LaMelo Ball are the best offensive threats but play virtually no defense.

Therefore, I’d say that Killian Hayes might actually be the best pick for the Knicks due to his very well-rounded game. If the Knicks were to select Hayes that would likely leave LaMelo Ball for the Pistons to select.

In all likelihood, as we stand at this moment, I would be very confident in saying that either LaMelo Ball or Killian Hayes will be a Knick and the other will become a Piston.

Tyrese Haliburton would be a good pick as well but with the team taking Frank Ntilikina, a defensive point guard, only a few years earlier, I would think that the Knicks would be very hesitant to select him.

If a team not on this list were to leap up and take LaMelo Ball and another team had taken Killian Hayes off the board, I would think that the Knicks would go for Cole Anthony. Anthony seems to be a hybrid of Damian Lillard and Carsen Edwards, and just seems like that guy the Knicks would pick.

Being from New York and his father being drafted by the Knicks, it would be a homecoming for Cole should the Knicks go in this direction.