Knick Could Find Biggest NBA Draft Sleeper

There’s a lot of mystery surrounding what the New York Knicks will do in the 2024 NBA Draft with the Nos. 24 & 25 picks.

The Knicks don’t exactly have an obvious need after winning 50 games and clinching the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference for the playoffs, allowing the team to take the best player available regardless of position.

That player could end up being Dayton forward DaRon Holmes II.

“Holmes had an outstanding season at Dayton, winning All-American honors by averaging 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.1 blocks while hitting 54.4 percent from the field and 38.6 percent from 3,” The Athletic writes. “He’s a versatile big who has a lot of answers for opponents’ ball-screen coverages. He can pick-and-pop, short roll to pass, short roll to finish himself or dive all the way to the rim to catch a lob. Defensively, he’s a good shot blocker and has flashed potential to stick with guards for a couple of slides on the perimeter.”

Holmes sounds like he could be a potential replacement for Precious Achiuwa, who enters restricted free agency this offseason.

Achiuwa was traded to the Knicks by the Toronto Raptors as part of the OG Anunoby trade in late December. However, he ended up being an important part of the deal. Achiuwa averaged 7.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game for the Knicks in 49 appearances with the team. While the Knicks can match any offer for Achiuwa on the open market, they may not have the cap space to do so after trying to re-sign Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein, who are both unrestricted free agents.

The Knicks may not keep their draft picks, and Holmes may not even be on the board when New York is on the clock, but there’s reason to believe a marriage between the two sides could work.

Holmes would likely end up sitting on the bench for most of his rookie season as coach Tom Thibodeau rarely plays first-year players a ton of important minutes. However, the Knicks need depth, and Holmes could provide that in the frontcourt for New York.

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