Knicks’ 2024 Draft Report Card

Sports writers from around the media landscape have weighed in on the New York Knicks’ selections in the 2024 NBA Draft. Now it’s our turn. Without further ado, here’s the P&T Report Card.

Pick 25 - Pacôme Dadiet: B

With the likes of Tyler Kolek, Kyle Filipowski, Ryan Dunn, Jonathan Mogbo, and Johnny Furphy all still on the board, Dadiet was not the name fans expected to hear with the Knicks’ 25th pick. Nevertheless, it’s a very smart move. Despite not being the most flashy or household name, Dadiet has a lot of upside. He has good range and is already a capable shooter with a very high release and if he can continue to improve his defense, dribbling, and playmaking, he could be a real weapon in a few years.

Now, given Dadiet’s age and still raw offensive game, it’s highly unlikely that the French wing gets any meaningful playing time this season. But New York already has plenty of depth and thankfully has the privilege of taking a chance on a young high ceiling player they can bring along slowly.

Pick 34 - Tyler Kolek: A

Any way you want to break it down, Kolek just makes sense. He’ll instantly become one of the best pure playmakers on the team, which should make life a lot easier for Deuce McBride, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo, who will no longer be asked to do too much. His shooting will allow him to play next to pretty much anyone on the roster. He’s a confident player who, like a lot of guys on this team, plays with a chip on their shoulder. And while he’s a small guard, his tenacity and competitiveness will make it hard for teams to play him off the court even if he won’t be the best defender on the court.

Making the pick even better, is the fact that it was rumored that many teams, including the Knicks, were interested in taking him in the first round. New York traded back and still managed to get themselves a confident, gritty, skilled, Tom Thibodeau-centric player who can contribute from day one, and slide in for McBride if he gets traded. Simply put, an amazing value pick.

Pick 56 - Kevin McCullar Jr.: A-

McCullar slid down some draft boards due to his age, which nowadays can point to a lack of upside or potential and injury concerns. But don’t let those pre-draft mock drafts fool you. McCullar is a damn good ball player. The former Kansas Jayhawk may have no elite skill, and his ceiling may be somewhat lower than many of his counterparts picked in the first round but what he lacks in upside and potential, he makes up for with an NBA-ready body, experience, and plenty of transferable skills.

Often compared to Josh Hart and Bruce Brown, McCullar is a jack of all trades, a master of none wing who is a true connector and an amplifier of good teams. Ask him to do too much and he’d likely disappoint. But on a team like the Knicks where he’ll be relied on more to play hard, limit mistakes, and make the right reads, he should excel and have a fan in Thibodeau from the very start.

Questions still surround what kind of role he will have minutes, but if he gets meaningful playing time, he’ll have an impact with his defensive tenacity and versatility, serviceable shooting, playmaking, rebounding, and off-ball cutting.

Pick 58 - Ariel Hukporti: B-

If the Knicks were coached by almost anyone else in the league, this pick may have gotten a lower grade because as history as shown us, picks this late in the draft rarely amount to much. But if there is a maniacal genius out there that can get the most of a 6’11” high-motor, mobile, rebounding monster into a serviceable big man capable of becoming a solid drop coverage big man, it’s Thibodeau.

We may be multiple years before Hukporti cracks the rotation and the center does have some injury concerns to go along with a lot of questions surrounding his offensive skillset and understanding of the game. But with the last pick in the draft, getting a future project for a known center-whisperer isn’t all that bad.