2025 NBA Draft: Knicks have the 50th pick. Who could they select?

New York Times

3 hours ago

As we await the blue-and-orange smoke to reveal itself above Madison Square Garden, signaling the New York Knicks have hired a new head coach, let's quickly turn our attention to the 2025 NBA Draft.
New York has the 50th pick Wednesday, which isn't sexy. But the franchise has come a long way from the days of draft night being the most exciting viewing experience of the season. Nothing wrong with a little give and take.
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Given the Knicks' financial situation, landing a veteran college player who could contribute on the floor immediately with their lone selection would be a home run. It also might behoove New York to get someone it can draft-and-stash for a later date. Both options make sense for this iteration of the Knicks.
With less than a week until the annual event, here are five names New York could potentially land at pick No. 50.
From January 1 until the end of the regular season, the Knicks ranked 20th in 3-point percentage. You can never have too much shooting.
*Enter Brea*
The 22-year-old is probably the best 3-point shooter in the draft. Well, not probably. Brea is the best 3-point shooter in the draft.
He spent his first four college seasons playing at Dayton, where, as a senior, he knocked down a berserk 49.8 percent of his 3s (on 6.1 attempts per game). In his final college season with Kentucky, Brea made 43.5 percent of his 3s (5.9 attempts per game).
Brea has good footwork, which should allow him to be a good movement shooter at the next level. He's got long arms and a quick release. Brea also is a smart player in the half court and can catch you by surprise with some of his passes.
The reason Brea will go late in the draft is likely due to his age, lack of athleticism and defensive struggles.
However, if the Knicks can get someone who can come in, eat up seven to 10 minutes per game, make open shots and get paid like a second-round pick, that would be very beneficial to their roster construction.
"HE HAS BEEN A FLAMETHROWER FOR KENTUCKY!" 🔥
Koby Brea is up to 21 PTS after his third triple 📈#MarchMadness @KentuckyMBB pic.twitter.com/BADiQ1PNZ9
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 23, 2025
Splitting his time between three different colleges, Peavy showed to be a quick-twitch athlete at the college level who should be physically ready for the NBA on Day 1.
He's a big, strong physical wing who makes his presence felt when in transition and going downhill. He's also an active and smart cutter. Defensively, Peavy can guard multiple positions and, while he tends to be aggressive, he does have good timing and instincts.
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As it pertains to Peavy as a shooter, I have good and bad news. The good news is that he improved from 3-point distance every year. Peavy rarely even attempted 3s during his first four collegiate seasons, and he also rarely ever made the ones he did take. In his final season, Peavy knocked down 40 percent of his 4.1 attempts per game. He has shown great growth in that area of his game. The bad news is that he never shot better than 66 percent from the free-throw line in college, leaving some scouts I talked to with questions on if his touch as a shooter will translate to the NBA.
Peavy has flaws, which is why he'll likely go somewhere in the range that the Knicks are selecting. However, his physical tools, defensive chops and potential improvements as a shooter are worth looking into.
Unlike Brea and Peavy, Pate would be a bit more of a project. He's a big guard who isn't built like most 19-year-old players and already has professional experience.
The thing that sticks out most to me when watching Pate is the blend of craftiness and explosion he can put on display when attacking the rim. When he gets a full head of steam, with his size, it's tough for defenders to stay in front of him. On top of that, he can stop on a dime. He can pull off up-and-unders in traffic. There's some good stuff there. Pate's offensive game really pops in transition. He loves to get out and run. He had some fierce finishes at the rim during the G League season.
The shooting, though, has a long way to go. Pate's release is a bit funky. His feet aren't ever square to the basket, and it's almost like he's turning his body 90 degrees before releasing the ball. Teams will need to really work with him there.
Overall, though, Pate is young, athletic and has some skill to him. He certainly could be worth a flyer for a team that is already filled with veteran pieces.
Dink Pate gets the first bucket of the 2025 #NBADraftCombine! @CapitanesCDMX pic.twitter.com/Fcf0AnRLZ0
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) May 14, 2025
Watkins, a CAA client, is tough. He likes to defend. He isn't afraid of contact. He likes to get out in transition. Watkins has a 6-foot-11 wingspan and isn't afraid to use it on either side of the floor.
I don't think Watkins does anything great, but he does a lot of stuff well. A few scouts I talked to call him a well-rounded second-round prospect who they view as a safe pick around the area New York is selecting. Watkins is a solid rebounder for his size. He's not a bad passer either. He does take tough shots sometimes and averaged way too many 3s last season (5.2) for someone who has been a below-average 3-point shooter throughout college. There's a reason he's slotted to go somewhere between Nos. 40 to 55.
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It wouldn't surprise me if Watkins ended up in a team's rotation as a rookie. Again, he plays tough and has good size. He can make plays with the ball or without it. Watkins just needs to work on his shot selection and work really hard to develop his shooting, both stationary and off the dribble.
If Sanders' 3-point shooting popped a bit more, I think he would be going much earlier than where he is projected to get drafted.
He's a smooth, big guard who played point guard throughout his college career. Sanders has good footwork, and he's patient and crafty in the pick-and-roll. Sanders reminds me a bit of Kyle Anderson, or a very, very poor man's version of Cade Cunningham. Sanders' offensive game is very deliberate, predicated on footwork, and he uses his big frame.
The biggest knock on Sanders, who started his college career at Cal Poly, is his lack of athleticism. He won't blow past anyone off the dribble. He won't win a foot race in transition. He also may have issues staying in front of quicker players at the next level. Yet, all of those things were said about Anderson when he came into the NBA, and 11 years later, he's still going.
I'm a fan of Sanders. (Writer's note: I'm a sucker for big, slow guards whose success relies on fundamentals and footwork.) I'm not saying Sanders is for sure going to be an impactful NBA player. I'm just saying I tend to believe in players with a high IQ and good fundamentals figuring out how to stick around more than I do athletic players with a low IQ. Sanders lands in the former group.
(Photo of Dink Pate of G League Ignite: Cooper Neill / NBAE via Getty Images)