By ADAM ZAGORIA
Before the Knicks lost in Detroit on Tuesday, they had won three straight games, prompting ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla to joke on air, “Did the Knicks just win three in a row? What are they doing? You’re supposed to be Not tryin for Zion.'”
It’s a long season, but the Knicks are currently tied for the NBA’s fifth-worst record at 7-15, not quite as bad as Phoenix, Cleveland, Chicago or Atlanta. Those teams appear to have ‘Stopped Tryin’ for Zion’ or to be “Giving It All Away for R.J.”
The Duke duo of Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett are the projected 1-2 picks in the draft, with Williamson now in ascendance due to his otherworldly athleticism and unique body type.
Duke has 3 of the top 4 projected picks in the Draft per @DraftExpress, with Oregon’s Bol Bol going to the #Knicks At 5 pic.twitter.com/Nv0clKOB3T
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) November 28, 2018
The latest ESPN.com mock has the Knicks taking 7-foot-2 Oregon freshman Bol Bol at No. 5. For more on Bol, read my feature on him over at Forbes.com. Tankathon.com also had the Knicks taking Bol recently, although they now have moved him up to No. 4, with the Knicks taking North Carolina freshman wing Nassir Little at 5.
Bol went for a career-best 32 points and 11 rebounds on Monday in a loss to Texas Southern. For the season, he’s averaging 21.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.8 blocks.
“Well, he’s a unique talent and he’s going to grow into a special player because you saw him shoot the three, you saw him handle it, he made some nice passes,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said. “[To be] 7-2 to do the things that he can do. You saw the touch in that zone, little jump hooks that just lays on the rim. He’s got a very soft touch for 7-2.”
Knicks President Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry were at the Garden earlier this month and saw Bol play twice, including for his 26-point, 9-rebound game against Syracuse.
Of course, Bol has been compared to a young Kristaps Porzingis, begging the question of whether the Knicks need another player of that sort.
“He has the skill set of Porzingis,” Fraschilla said of Bol. “The difference is between the ages of 16 and 19, Porzingis was basically in the second-best league in the world, training with and against men, training as a professional and Bol was transferring high school and playing AAU. The skillset is similar but the preparation for the NBA is going to be completely different.”
Knicks coach David Fizdale is on record saying, “We will not ever tank.” Still, the Knicks are playing their young guys and winning some exciting games, while piling up the losses.
Whether they end up in the mix for Zion or R.J. remains to be seen.
Photo: AP Photo/Mary Altaffer
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