NBA Draft experts continue to link New York Knicks to elite defensive prospect | Sporting News

The New York Knicks continue to be linked to the best defender in the NBA Draft.

Virginia forward Ryan Dunn is considered an elite defensive prospect, with the 6-foot-6 wing averaging 1.3 steals and 2.4 blocks in his sophomore season. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie called Dunn one of the best defensive players he’s ever evaluated.

The Knicks own the 24th and 25th picks in the first round of the draft and some of the most noteworthy NBA Draft experts have tied Dunn to the Knicks.

Vecenie’s latest mock draft has the Knicks selecting Dunn with the 25th pick.

ESPN’s Jeremy Woo and Jonathan Givony have the Knicks selecting Dunn with the 25th pick in their most recent mock draft.

And The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor also has the Knicks taking Dunn with the 25th pick.

It’s unusual for there to be so much consensus late in the first round. This year’s draft is even tougher to predict, as most in the NBA world consider it a weak class. That has led to a lack of consensus among who the top picks might be, let alone who might get selected by the end of the first round.

It’s noteworthy, then, that so many people view the Knicks and Dunn as a fit.

The Knicks did have Dunn in for a workout. And Knicks head coach Tom Thinodeau’s love for versatile, defensive-minded wings is well-known. Though the Knicks figure to have a deep, loaded rotation if they re-sign their key free agents, there is a belief that Dunn is the type of rookie who could potentially crack Thibodeau’s rotation.

Dunn’s offense, particularly his shooting, is a major weakness and needs to improve for him play major minutes in the NBA.

Of course, all of this might not mean much in the long run. The Knicks are also reportedly exploring trade scenarios, and virtually every expert’s mock draft notes that the Knicks might not even make their picks in the 20s (the Knicks also own the 38th overall pick).

Knicks president Leon Rose has been highly active on draft night in the past, frequently moving up and down the draft and trading picks for future assets. That type of activity has made it hard to predict what the Knicks will do.

Still, if the Knicks stand pat, as of now, Dunn seems as obvious of a pick as any prospect in the Rose era.