The New York Knicks hold the No. 9 pick in this year’s draft, and they may be keeping their fingers crossed that one big name will still be on the board.
On Monday, Knicks president Steve Mills took an opportunity to rave about Trae Young ahead of a dinner with the Oklahoma guard that night and a private workout with Young scheduled for Tuesday.
“He’s an intriguing player, intriguing talent,” said Mills of the consensus first team All-American, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. “[Trae] is a little bit bigger than he looked on the court. You look at what he did with the players he had around him and what he did at the start of the season. You have to say this guy has a chance to be a special player.
“When I got to see him play at the tournament, the first time I saw him live, I was really impressed the way he moved the basketball,” continued Mills. “He sees everything on the floor. He’s willing to release the ball and get it into a fast break. It was really impressive.”
Berman also adds that these were Mills’ first public comments about any of the 2018 draft prospects.
As for Young, he is coming off a season where he averaged 27.4 points and 8.7 assists per game for the Sooners, leading the nation in both categories. The Knicks already have last year’s No. 8 overall pick, Frank Ntilikina, to build around at the point guard spot. But rumors of their interest in Young have been heating up in recent weeks, and Mills seems to be adding fuel to the fire.
