CHICAGO — A few minutes after the NBA Draft Lottery was sorted out, Knicks executive vice president William Wesley walked off the dais and saw team president Leon Rose. The two embraced.
Wesley and Rose surely hoped for a better result on Tuesday. But the Knicks didn’t beat the odds.
With Wesley on the dais, they landed the No. 11 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Tuesday night marked the 18th straight draft lottery appearance in which the Knicks either stayed at their projected pick or moved back.
There was a large Knicks contingent in Chicago on Tuesday night. Rose, Wesley, GM Scott Perry and assistant general managers Frank Zanin and Walt Perrin were among the Knicks on hand.
The group will probably be in town through the end of the week for the NBA Draft Combine.
There will be plenty of talented players available at No. 11 for New York. Various mock drafts prior to the lottery had the Knicks taking Dyson Daniels, a 6-foot-6 combo guard from the G League Elite (ESPN), Jeremy Sochan, a wing from Baylor (The Ringer), and Johnny Davis, a shooting guard from Wisconsin (Bleacher Report).
Some recent No. 11 picks include Ziaire Williams (2021), Devin Vassell (2020) Cameron Johnson (2019), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2018), Domatas Sabonis (2017), Myles Turner (2016).
But based on recent history, New York should still be able to land a solid player.
In the past two drafts under Rose, the Knicks have selected selected Obi Toppin (No. 8 in 2020), Immanuel Quickley (No. 25 in 2020), Quentin Grimes (No. 25 in 2021), Rokas Jokubaitis (No. 34 in 2021), Miles McBride (No. 36 in 2021), and Jericho Sims (No. 58 in 2021).
It’s too early to make definitive statements about any of the players above, but they all seem to have the potential to carve out solid NBA careers.