5 worst NBA draft decisions by the New York Knicks in the 21st century
The New York Knicks are a storied franchise, but in recent years, they have become the laughing stock of the NBA. The franchise's management has made more poor decisions than good ones in multiple NBA Drafts.
On that note, let us take a look at the five worst draft mistakes the New York Knicks have made since the turn of the century.
Five worst NBA draft decisions taken by the New York Knicks in the 21st century
For this list, we have considered various NBA Drafts in the 21st century to take a note of some of the biggest future superstars that the New York Knicks passed up on. Without further ado, let's get started.
#5 Michael Porter Jr. and Shai Gelgeous-Alexander
In the 2018 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks had their hands on the 9th-overall-pick.
While this was a very good lottery pick, the franchise squandered it completely, passing up on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Michael Porter Jr. to draft Kevin Knox. Gilgeous-Alexander was picked up by another franchise with the 11th pick while Porter was picked at 14.
While Knox is not a bad player at all and definitely has potential, the star power of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Michael Porter Jr. is undeniable. Many still scratch their heads thinking about why the franchise decided to look past them.
Regardless of the reasons why the Knicks did not go for the duo, the risks the franchise took during this particular NBA Draft did not pan out as per their expectations, leaving fans wondering about what might have been.
#4 Jimmy Butler
In the 2011 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks had the 17th pick and chose Iman Shumpert, passing up on Jimmy Butler in the process, who was later chosen as the 30th overall pick by the Chicago Bulls.
While it is difficult to blame the franchise too much on passing up on a player who very few believed to have star potential, the New York Knicks did make a big error in judgement, at least in hindsight.
Had the New York Knicks taken a chance on Jimmy Butler at the time, not only would they have had an NBA superstar but also a brilliant leader capable of leading a contending team.
While not many foresaw the development and star power of Jimmy Butler, New York Knicks fans will no doubt bemoan a missed opportunity.