The Strickland Guide to 2025 second-round Knicks draft fliers
Can New York unearth a draft diamond in all that late-second-round rough?
DRAFT SEASON, BABY!
I know the sting of the Knicks falling in the conference finals still burns, the wound of defeat still fresh (if not festering), and yet – my world still turns. The world of the NBA Draft. Am I ready? You bet.
Notably, the Knicks traded their 2025 first-rounder for Mikal Bridges and lost their second-rounder as a penalty for their SINISTER TAMPERING MACHINATIONS in their pursuit of Jalen Brunson. Luckily for draft sickos like myself, the Knicks retain one pick: the 50th, which once belonged to the Memphis Grizzlies and, thanks to Sam Presti, traveled a long and circuitous route to New York. So in theory, New York will have at least one super-late pick, though I would fully expect Brock Aller involving it in trades. In his four prior drafts with New York, the Knicks have hopped around the late first and second-rounds like Red Bull-addicted rabbits on a never-ending quest to pursue additional second-rounders and fliers they’re high on (Miles McBride, Tyler Kolek, Ariel Hukporti, to name a few).
So what’s this draft like, specifically in the second round? Well, the first round is weak on the whole, but a different shape from last year’s very featherweight top of the class. Both this year and last year’s lotteries had little in the way of true-blue franchise altering stars atop their class, but the 2025 class offers better star bets from the early to middle of the lottery. That likely pushes some solid role player talents back into the middle of the first round.
More importantly for the Knicks, we are seeing the overall quality of the second-round player pool suffer for three reasons: the opportunity for good NCAA players who aren't guaranteed first-rounders to return to school and make major name, image and likeness (NIL) money; how crowded NBA rosters are; and how few truly tanking teams exist. Many players who would have opted for a G League fight for a NBA roster spot are now opting for lucrative NIL deals, even at the risk of being stamped with the dreaded “old prospect” label in a future draft.
So that kind of stinks for the Knicks. But as with any “difficult” section of a draft, it also presents opportunities for smart front offices to take advantage of other general managers making mistakes, drafting bad NCAA players or likely NBA busts – or both. It may also result in more GMs being willing to trade around in the second, should we want to jump from 50 to an earlier second-rounder.
OK, with the table-setting out of the way, let’s look at second-round fliers. We don’t even know if all New York’s second-rounders a year ago will remain with the team, but I feel comfortable penciling Hukporti as the lone reliable NBA player among them so far, and as a result of rostering him, KAT, and Mitchell Robinson, I will be excluding second-round center prospects in this guide.
What follows: guards to take a flier on, wings and big forwards to take a flier on and my second-round flier power rankings for the Knicks. The parenthetical number at the end of each player’s name, height and position listing is his age come tip-off next season. At the bottom: my final thoughts on who the Knicks should pick.
GUARDS
Ben Saraf, 6-foot-7, PG, Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany) (19.6 years old at the start of the 2025-26 season)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: He is a first-round talent, maybe even a lottery talent. He’s a giant point guard who is a walking paint touch for an adult team. His 3-ball is shaky but the mix of size strength passing interior scoring, at his age, has no business falling to the 30s – where he’s being mocked currently.
Why he might not be: Teams might simply wise up once on the clock. Given that he is competing in German playoffs right now, it could be a case of out-of-sight, out-of-mind for mock draft writers right now. He has flaws, but if he falls and the Knicks pass on him, it would be a massive mistake.
John Tonje, 6-foot-6, SG, Wisconsin (24.4)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: Super seniors are supposed to dominate college, and Tonje absolutely dominated college, with a 65 true shooting percentage (TS%) while putting up 37 points per 100 (20 points per game if you want more classic stats). He shot 47/39/90 splits with a free throw rate over 50%. He could give the Knicks some versatile scoring punch they lack off the bench - interior, perimeter, all that.
Why he might not be: A prospect this old would be uncharted waters for the Knicks. Successful 24-year-old rooks historically are rare, because it should be easy to dominate teenage future teaching assistants at that age for even a fringe NBA player.
Milos Uzan, 6-foot-4 PG/SG, Houston (22.8)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: Skinny, gritty point guard who can shoot the lights out, with an elite floater, handles and table-setting. Also can play off-ball. Yes.
Why he might not be: He’s a twig, and not quite as wired to score as you’d like. The Knicks already have an abundance of skinny/undersized backups, and Uzan may not have enough scoring chops.
Alijah Martin, 6-foot-2 SG, Florida (23.5)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: High-volume 3-point shooting off-guard whose shooting is even better than his numbers indicate. Separates himself with explosive athleticism and good strength.
Why he might not be: The high-volume shooting and hops are great, but an undersized, older 2-guard is still just that – and it’s hard for them to crack any rotation, much less when you already have an established guy in that role in front of you in Deuce McBride.
Kam Jones, 6-foot-5 PG/SG, Marquette (23.6)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: We got the wrong Marquette guard. Get the one who can play both guard spots, is bigger, and more of a threat to drive.
Why he might not be: They could have promised to pick him last year. They took Kolek instead.
Hunter Sallis, 6-foot-5 SG, Wake Forest (22.6)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: A scoring machine and former mid-first round hopeful as recently as 14 months ago, his star has dimmed. Buy the dip!
Why he might not be: The numbers and production aren’t there for his age.
Will Richard, 6-foot-4 SG, Florida (22.8)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: Might be the biggest dawg in this article. A classic tank-of-a-two-way combo guard, in the mold of Keon Ellis and Deuce McBride.
Why he might not be: The Knicks may have had their fill of combo guard fliers, as evidenced by them pivoting away from drafting that archetype and utilizing Cam Payne instead this past season.
Tyrese Proctor, 6-foot-5 G, Duke (21.5)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: Let the backup/G League flier be someone both capable of letting it fly with extreme accuracy off-ball and creating off the bounce.
Why he might not be: Not dynamic enough with the ball to demand on-ball reps, not strong enough defensively to be a 2-guard – even as a bench player.
WINGS
Adou Thiero, 6-foot-7 wing, Arkansas (21.4)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: The Knicks don’t have prime-time athletes. Thiero is one, a two-way wing who is young, coached by John Calipari and one jumper tweak away from being a BIG problem. He’s an Ausar Thompson variant.
Why he might not be: He should be a first-rounder.
Kobe Sanders, 6–foot-8 wing, Nevada (23.5)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: He’s a tall, ball-handling wing who played point in college and projects more as a modern dribble/pass/shoot connector – with height.
Why he might not be: Sanders is very thin, and not athletic. Those limitations could make him the classic hooper who’s good in college because of height, age, and skill, then sees all those advantages evaporate in the NBA.
Mohamed Diawara, 6-foot-9 wing, Cholet Basket (France) (20.5)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: A TRUE flier. He’s 6-foot-9, with a muscled 7-foot-4 (!) wingspan, a little handle and a decent-looking jumper — the kind of high-risk, high-reward pick you take in the late second.
Why he might not be: Diawara may not actually be good at basketball. He shoots 55% from the line and under 30% from deep, and despite being built like a 2K create-a-player his block rate was lower than McBride’s this season!
Jamir Watkins, 6-foot-6 wing, FSU (24.4)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: Primetime/major athlete, with strength and hops and a good (not great) jumper. Miscast as alpha dog upperclassman at FSU, we’ll get him right in MSG.
Why he might not be: He’s already as old as Deuce, and arguably should have dominated NCAA hoops much more than he did given age and physical gifts.
Cedric Coward, 6-foot-7 wing, Washington State (22.1)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: A tall, long sharpshooter who projects to be versatile on both ends. Those guys shouldn’t fall to the second, much less so late in the second. Get him!
Why he might not be: He has a standing offer from Duke that probably comes with a nice NIL check; if he foregoes that, it is almost certainly because he has a first-round promise.
Brice Williams, 6-foot-7 wing, Nebraska (24.4)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: Well-rounded scorer and shooter with wing size and positive assist-to-turnover ratio. Can put it on the deck to shoot and to draw fouls. Older, for sure, but dribble/pass/shoot/dunk wings by definition should not be slept on.
Why he might not be: Also as old as Deuce, and while his metrics were great, they may not have been good enough, given his age.
Thomas Hough, 6-foot-9 forward, Florida (20.7)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: The Knicks need some big, athletic wings. Enough of the undersized market inefficiency. Hough is a clear first-round talent who is falling because his team is stacked, and because he doesn’t score pointzzz even though his metrics are nuts.
Why he might not be: He might not be score-first enough for the Knicks’ front office.
Jaxson Robinson, 6-foot-6 wing, Kentucky (22.8)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: The Knicks need wings who can shoot fast, from far, accurately, and play defense. Round peg, meet round hole.
Why he might not be: Questions about his production for his age, his slight frame, a slow start and an early end thanks to an injury have harmed his draft stock.
Sion James, 6-foot-6 wing, Duke (22.8)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: He’s a high-feel tank built like Lu Dort who plays defense, can handle the rock and can spot up.
Why he might not be: His shot isn’t bad, but he doesn’t shoot much because he’s mostly a set shooter. Also, in five years of college hoops – four at Tulane and one at Duke – not once did a coach give him a usage rate over 20% (McBride’s usage rate was 23% his two seasons at West Virginia; Kolek was 21.8% and 24.3% his last two at Marquette; even Immanuel Quickley, playing alongside Tyrese Maxey in Kentucky’s backcourt, had a senior year usage rate of 23.4%).
Darrion Williams, 6-foot-6 wing, Texas Tech (21.6)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: High-feel, great passing wing scorer for a great team. Simple.
Why he might not be: His build is not very common in the NBA, as a thicker, ground-bound skill-and-strength based wing.
Alex Toohey, 6-foot-8 forward, Sydney Kings (Australia) (21.6)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: High feel. High motor. True wing size. Put him in the G League; let him learn to shoot, cook.
Why he might not be: Doesn’t seem like a NBA threat on offense. Knicks probably not interested.
Drake Powell, 6-foot-6 wing, North Carolina (20.1)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: Was originally a lottery-projected power wing, but is more raw than anticipated. They bet on one of those with Pacôme Dadiet; why not be in on another should he slide to the second round?
Why he might not be: They may have only bet on Pacôme because he took a pay cut. Aside from cap motivations, the Knicks may not be interested in projects.
Dink Pate, 6-foot-7 wing, Capitanes (G League) (19.7)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: Insane athlete with insane flashes of ball-handling creation. Biggest bet on a wing flier we could make.
Why he might not be: Pate might not actually be good at basketball right now.
Kanon Catchings, 6-foot-9 wing, BYU (20.2)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: Big wing with great size who’s learning how to leverage his gifts. Take the flier and cash your chips in later.
Why he might not be: Not good enough to earn minutes in the NBA soon; not the type of prospect who typically develops well in the G League.
Donnie Freeman, 6-foot-9 big wing, Syracuse (20.2)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: Great size and touch. Not afraid of a middy or a floater, despite his size, and happy to shoot from deep.
Why he might not be: Bit of a tweener. Played as a stretch 4/5, but as a wing has inadequate handle and burst to even drive against closeouts well. Might end up a AAAA player.
Dailyn Swain, 6-foot-8 wing, Xavier (20.3)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: Extremely productive. High-feel wing, especially defensively. On offense, tremendous flexibility and handle for his size; allows him to score in the halfcourt and in transition easily. Gets to his spots. Let him clean up the jumper and become a bigger, cheaper Josh Hart.
Why he might not be: His jumper is strictly theoretical, currently a very slow load-up. Inconsistent form. More than a tweak away.
Joshua Jefferson, 6-foot-7 big wing, Iowa State (21.9)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: Bully ball wing with extremely high feel and plus-passing chops who can defend.
Why he might not be: Very questionable shooting (29% from deep over three years of college). Plus-scoring gravity comes from on-ball post bully reps, something he won’t get in New York under pretty much any circumstance.
Eric Dixon, 6-foot-8 wing, Villanova (24.7)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: Amazing, big-wing shooter with strength. Easy bench buckets role player.
Why he might not be: Spent most of the season with zero blocks despite being older than 99% of the players he played. Not an NBA player on defense currently.
Koby Brea, 6-foot-7 wing, Kentucky (23.1)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: Wing with elite shooting metrics of all types. Self aware of strengths and limitations. Dominican Duncan Robinson clone, from Washington Heights (!!!). Easy to slot in on offense playing with established stars and vets. Let him be the Knicks’ Sam Merrill or Sam Hauser.
Why he might not be: Rumored to be 6-8 with a 7-3 wingspan, was actually closer to 6-6.5 with a 6-5 wingspan. Lack of footspeed and short arms give him no room for error on defense, might be too much to overcome as a wing in 2025.
BIGS
Maxime Raynaud, 7-foot, PF/C, Stanford (22.4)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: A fluid, true 7-footer who can definitely play the 4 on offense, and maybe on defense, he’d shift New York’s size profile heavily without sacrificing skill. Could be like Precious Achiuwa, but good.
Why he might not be: If Knick scouts don’t think he can be a 4 on defense, they would almost certainly be out on him as a 5 on defense, where he is a poor rim protector. Plus we have already have bigger kid prospects in Dadiet and Hukporti.
Bogoljub Marković, 7-foot, PF/C, OKK Beograd (20.1)
Why he needs to be in the Garden: Having bench 4s who can provide shooting and weak side bonus rim protection is invaluable in the modern NBA and something the Knicks lack, both of which Marković would provide. Great passer, too.
Why he might not be: He’s skinny, to the point where he may not provide any bench help for the big team for at least a year or two.
The Official Prez 2nd-Round Flier Wishlist
Before you see my list, a cop-out: I feel like the Knicks really should aim for shooting bets in the second round and in undrafted free agency.
Pure shooters like Isaiah Joe, Sam Merrill, AJ Green, Georges Niang, Pat Connaughton, Garrison Matthews, Gary Trent Jr., Jaylen Wells, and Duncan Robinson have become rotation players despite being second rounders or prospects signed as undrafted free agents. Additionally, some not-as-pure-shooters who were more well rounded scorers also were able to pop — Norm Powell, Austin Reaves, Dean Wade, Max Strus, both Julian and Justin Champagnie, and Vince Williams Jr. all come to mind.
However, the last decade is littered with second round and undrafted wingy guys who were great on defense and shaky on offense, who defended their way into rotations. DEEP BREATH: Lu Dort, Haywood Highsmith, Naji Marshall, Alex Caruso, Dorian Finney-Smith, Derrick Jones Jr., Gary Payton Jr., Bruce Brown, Dillon Brooks, Royce O’Neal, Javonte Green, Terance Mann, Toumani Camara, Herb Jones, Kenrich Williams, Aaron Wiggins, and Keon Ellis were all second rounders or undrafted.
OK! With that out of the way….
PREZ FAV FLIERS: OFFENSE EDITION
Top 3: Easy first-round talents
Adou Thiero
Ben Saraf
Drake Powell
Next 4: Wing shooters who’d help now
4. Jaxson Robinson
5. Cedric Coward
6. Koby Brea
7. John Tonje
Final 3: Have talent, need time
8. Bogoljub Marković
9. Thomas Haugh
10. Kobe Sanders
HOWEVER, as I said, if you wanted to pick someone from the “defensive bets” pool of prospects to bet on, consider these young gentlemen who all defend and do at least a few productive things on offense…
PREZ FAVORITE FLIERS: LOCK UP EDITION
Adou Thiero (might be late first, already in the above top 10)
Drake Powell (also might be a first rounder, already in the above top 10)
Jamir Watkins
Will Richard
Sion James
Dailyn Swain
There you go. Less than week, and we are off to the races!
