New York Knicks fans should start learning these small forwards with the 2022 NBA Draft around the corner.
March Madness is here, and it won’t be long before Knicks fans attach themselves to their favorite player hoping that Leon Rose drafts a stud in June. The small forward position will include many versatile athletes who may help the Knicks in their short-term and long-term future.
The small forward and power forward positions are often interchangeable, and the Knicks have been searching for a wing that can shoot, handle the rock, and guard multiple positions. Kevin Knox was drafted in 2018, and while he showed flashes of being a productive player, the potential of Knox always seemed greater than the on-court product. Fast forward to now, Knox was traded for Cam Reddish (the former Duke standout has struggled to crack Tom Thibodeau’s rotation consistently).
The last couple of drafts featured talented small forwards at the back-end of the lottery, including Ziaire Williams (2021), Moses Moody (2021), Cam Reddish (2019), and Cameron Johnson (2019). Rim pressure and floor spacing are essential assets for any wing in today’s game.
3. MarJon Beauchamp – F, G League Ignite
MarJon Beauchamp is a 21-year old, six-foot-six, 200-pound forward with a seven-foot wingspan. Beauchamp plays for the stacked G League Ignite team, but his path to professional basketball has been anything but linear. Growing up on the west coast, Beauchamp played on multiple high-school teams and was even a Michael Porter Jr.’s teammate for a season. He was a four-star recruit by the end of his senior year but decided to turn pro in 2019.
Beauchamp worked out and prepared to enter the 2021 draft. However, after a bought with COVID, MarJon decided to enroll and play basketball for Yakima Valley College (JUCO) in his hometown. He eventually signed with Ignite in 2021. This past season (12 games), Beauchamp averaged 15.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. The Washington-native shot 57.1 percent from the field, 24.2 percent from the three-point line, and 65 percent from the free-throw line.
NBA ready skill:
MarJon has the size and skill set needed to make an impact in the NBA. Teams will hold his age against him, but Beauchamp hasn’t played a ton of organized basketball in the past two years.
Additionally, one of his issues will be offensive consistency. Beauchamp has star quality, but it only appears in spurts. There are games where he puts it all together and can get to the rim, cut with purpose, shoot the three, and hit the pull-up mid-range jumper. However, on team Ignite, Beauchamp is tasked with doing the dirty work — fighting for loose balls and crashing the boards. But don’t get me wrong, Beauchamp is adept at searching for and grabbing offensive rebounds (this past season, MarJon totaled double-digit rebounds in seven games).
He makes an impact whether he scores or not, but he’ll need to improve that offensive consistency to take the next step. He’ll also need to be more aggressive. Opposing defenses will also sag off him until he becomes a reliable three-point shooter. On defense, Beauchamp has the length to disrupt passing lanes, and he does an excellent job of tagging the roll man as a help defender.
Fit with the Knicks:
Though many would consider Beauchamp an atypical Knicks draft pick, drafting Beauchamp would mean the Knicks are embracing a rebuild. Tom Thibodeau loves wings with good height and length, and Beauchamp would fit in as a player who can guard multiple positions. His offense will take time to develop, but he still would have an impact as a rotational player with starter upside.
During this season, the Knicks’ offense has looked like there are too many cooks in the kitchen without a clear hierarchy. Beauchamp’s appeal is that he doesn’t need the ball to be effective. Instead, he can keep offensive possessions alive and take turns guarding the opposing team’s best wings.
Beauchamp will be a reach if the Knicks are drafting anywhere from spots 10-14. Still, Beauchmap’s persistence, size, and skill set are all ingredients for an underdog story the Knicks might regret passing on.
2. Tari Eason – F, LSU
Tari Eason is a 20-year old, six-foot-eight, 215-pound forward with a six-foot-nine wingspan. Eason plays for the LSU Tigers, and he’s had a breakout sophomore season, vaulting himself into lottery territory for the upcoming draft. Eason transferred from Cincinnati in 2021, and in his first season at LSU, he averaged 16.9 points per game on 52.1 percent shooting from the floor, 35.9 percent shooting from the three-point line, 80.3 percent shooting from the free-throw line. Eason also averaged one assist and 6.6 rebounds per game. LSU was a solid defensive team and ranked first in the SEC in opponents’ points per game. Eason plays a significant role as a player who can switch the pick and roll and guard players in the post and on the perimeter.
NBA ready skill:
A ballplayer can make a lot of money in the NBA if they can drive to the rim, create space, and finish in traffic. And Eason can do all of that because he is a natural slasher. Per hoops Math, Eason is finishing 63.7 percent of his shots at the rim, and that’s because he can change direction with ease, use his size really well, and hit the runner in the lane if the mid-range pull-up isn’t there.
Some scouts’ draft stock has risen with Eason’s ability to finish around the rim and his improved shooting numbers. Eason shot 37 percent from three on 5.4 attempts per game, and he seems a little more confident shooting off the dribble than in catch-and-shoot situations. However, he will have to improve as a catch-and-shoot player to become a reliable 3-D prospect.
Eason’s defense and his athleticism are probably his most valuable skills. Eason ranks first in points, blocks, and second in total rebounds on LSU’s squad, and he ranks third in the nation in box-plus-minus (14.8) and fourth in the country in defensive box-plus-minus (4.8). Eason’s steal and block percentages are best for his position. When you watch his tape, Eason does a consistently good job of jumping passing lanes. In this clip, Eason blocks a three-point attempt from Keon Ellis, gets to the other end of the floor, and finishes the layup for the good-ahead bucket in a win over Alabama.
Aside from his defense, Eason’s passing and ball-handling skills are not discussed enough. Eason is a creative ball-handler who can implement numerous crossovers to get into a stepback or pull-up jumper. There is no other player in the draft at his size that has this type of creativity. Banchero is more polished, but Eason possesses more variety in this area.
Compared with other players from his draft class, Eason totaled more points, blocks, and steals than Duke’s AJ Griffin, Baylor’s Kendall Brown, and Stanford’s Harrison Ingram. In addition, Ingram and Eason finished the season tied on rebounds (214). Eason was also better than the trio mentioned above in free-throw rate (50.8) and box-plus-minus.
Fit with the Knicks:
Eason would immediately help on the defensive end of the floor because he’s a solid weakside defender, has a high basketball IQ, and has excellent athleticism.
The Knicks are currently 16th in defensive rating and 9th in opponent’s points per game. RJ Barrett is still improving as a defender, Quentin Grimes has had a solid rookie season as a two-way player, and Miles “Deuce” McBride, despite limited playing time, has impressed as a reliable point-of-attack defender. However, the Knicks are still in need of versatile defenders with size. Fans may not want to admit it, but losing Reggie Bullock hurt, and as a result, drafting a player like Eason would fill that void.
1. AJ Griffin – F, Duke
AJ Griffin is an 18-year old, six-foot-six, 220-pound forward with a seven-foot wingspan. Griffin was the 18th ranked high-school player in the country out of White Plains, New York (Editor’s note: LET’S GO!). Before enrolling at Duke, Griffin dealt with knee and ankle injuries in high school that limited his playing time. He also sprained his knee this past October.
Of the five early-season Duke games I watched, Griffin did absolutely nothing. And then, he caught on fire.
Griffin scored at least double-figures in 19 of his 26 remaining games from mid-December on, including impressive 20-point performances in wins versus Miami, Louisville, UNC, and Syracuse. Per Hoops Math, Griffin finished a ridiculous 68.5 percent of his shots at the rim and has a total shooting percentage of 65.1 percent. In 38 games, Griffin averaged 10.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, and one assist per game. He shot 50.2 percent from the field, 45.8 percent from three, and 77.6 percent from the free-throw line. Although his three-point percentage is impressive, the sample size isn’t great (4.1 attempts per game).
NBA ready skill:
Griffin’s role at Duke has been primarily that of a floor-spacer. Players like Paolo Banchero, Trevor Keels, and Wendell Moore Jr. are entrusted with running the offense.
While most of Griffin’s counting stats don’t scream top-five pick, it’s the flashes of what he can do on the court that has NBA general managers interested. Griffin possesses a soft touch with his floaters and push-shots when he gets in the paint. Furthermore, Griffin has good balance on his shot and can handle and shoot off the dribble in the mid-range and from beyond the three-point line. The catch is that a lot of Griffin’s production comes from assisted shots, and it’s hard to project how impactful and efficient he’ll be on the offensive end if asked to create more for himself.
On the flip side, Griffin does not get to the line enough for a player his size. As a result, he shot fewer foul shots (45) than Tari Eason, Harrison Ingram, and Kendall Brown.
Defensively, he competes and won’t be a liability, but at this stage in his development, his best defensive skill is using his athleticism to help from the weak side. And while NBA spacing typically helps players improve their scoring efficiency, playing with Banchero might’ve contributed to inflated numbers from the three-point line.
Fit with the Knicks:
Griffin is a consensus top-five pick. It’s rare to find a player with his skill set at his size. Even though Griffin has plenty of work to do at the next level, you can’t pass on a talent like this. For the Knicks, the question is, what would you be willing to give up to trade up for Griffin? The Knicks have already traded a first-round pick for Cam Reddish but could not guarantee him consistent minutes before his shoulder injury. The front office and coaching staff would need to be on the same page before giving up future draft picks and players on the current roster.
Honorable mention
Nikola Jovic and Keegan Murray will be excellent NBA players. I wrote about Jovic back in November, and while his shooting percentages have been concerning, fans need to remember this is an 18-year old kid with great size and an NBA-ready skill set.
Murray had an excellent season for the Iowa Hawkeyes. He averaged 23.5 points and shot 39.8 percent from three (4.8 attempts) per game. On top of that, Murray led the nation in box-plus-minus and offensive box-plus-minus. Admittedly, he isn’t the most laterally-quick athlete, and I think he’ll struggle from a shot-creation standpoint in the NBA. Yet his floor, as a prospect, is very high, and he will contribute to winning basketball.
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the 2021-22 NBA season. And in case you missed it, check out CP’s analysis of Tom Thibodeau’s likely return as the head coach for the New York Knicks.
