After a disappointing year, the Knicks find themselves back in the lottery, picking 11th in this year’s NBA Draft. The right selection could help turn things around next season and beyond.

Let's take a look at some of the pros and cons of potential draft options for the Knicks, continuing with Ohio State guard Malaki Branham.

The case for drafting Branham

Branham is a 6-foot-5, 194-pound likely two guard with real three-level scoring potential at the ripe age of 19. With his 6-foot-10 wingspan and flashes of athleticism, his defense may also hold promise.

Specializing in the mid-range, Branham largely scored out of dribble pull-ups in the 13-18 foot range. He has a sound, smooth stroke with good elevation that he could get to in a snap. His handle isn’t very advanced, but he has a few moves that naturally flow into his jumper or a drive and can punish closeouts well.

Branham’s style leans toward the plodding and patient, utilizing hang dribbles and body positioning to get to his spots for his mid-range shot. He’s comfortable shooting it going either direction, and with any level of contest. His short jumpers and in-between floaters are also effective, further diversifying his scoring range.

The lengthy guard can also get to the cup, also in a bruising, thoughtful manner. He showed shades of nice verticality and isn’t afraid of contact. While he didn’t shoot a great deal of free throws, he did connect on them at a 83.3 percent clip.

That fares well for his long-range jumper, which he hit at a 41.6 percent rate, also on few attempts. Most of these came via the catch-and-shoot, but the fact remains these are strong fundamentals to build on from three. Defenses will have to respect Branham from deep away from the ball.

Many compare Branham to Caris LeVert, but he fits better into the Khris Middleton mold. He already has some of the self-creation tools and gets to similar looks in similar ways.

The case against drafting Branham

Branham’s offense is well advanced for his age, but still lacking in some key areas. His off-the-dribble three-point shot isn’t there yet, and teams had success ducking under pick-and-rolls. He’ll need this shot to elevate his threat on the court, but given his form and efficiency there shouldn’t be much to worry about here.

He’ll also need to sharpen up his handle, add in further dribble combinations, counters and finishes at the rim. His moves package is a bit basic at the moment, and his one-on-one scoring will be challenged early by advanced NBA athleticism.

Branham isn’t the most explosive athlete on the drive or above the rim, so either beefing up those physical attributes or getting craftier is crucial. He could sometimes struggle to create much separation.

There will also be a transition defensively. The physical profile may be promising but it didn’t translate as well on the court. Quicker and stronger players had their way one-on-one, and Branham made a lot of classic “rookie” mistakes.

He is 19, so much of this is expected, especially early on. There were also a fair share of strong moments that suggest upside here.

Teams will also want to see more playmaking out of Branham, who had a poor assist-to-turnover ratio and some odd decision-making moments. He doesn’t project to be a lead facilitator, but a scorer of his caliber and position should develop out more of a creating game.

The Knicks will certainly weigh all factors when it comes to Branham, but one obvious question is would he be redundant stacked up with RJ Barrett, Quentin Grimes and Cam Reddish? This may be moot given Branham’s age and future roster plans regarding these names, but is worth considering.

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