Former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Damon Jones is crossing his fingers for the New York Knicks, hopeful that the franchise can land the consensus top-overall pick Zion Williamson by getting the No. 1 selection in Tuesday's NBA Draft Lottery.
“I think it'll be the Knicks and I'm hoping and praying it's the Knicks because this guy has charisma, he has personality and he has the skill set that would fit in well in New York,” said Jones. “With the two max spots that they have for free agents, I think this is the best chance for him to have success in his first year.”
"I'm hopin' and prayin' it's the Knicks."
—@D19J on the best case scenario for Zion Williamson pic.twitter.com/fTVzELAlch
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 14, 2019
Jones believes Williamson will be in great hands under New York's coaching staff, one that has had to develop young players throughout the course of the 2018-19 season, which ultimately landed them an NBA-worst 17-65 record.
“I think coach Fizdale is gonna do a great job of taking his skill set and fitting it into his system around the two free agents that they possibly think they can get,” said Jones.
Out of the three markets with an equal 14% chance to garner the top spot, New York is the only spot that could fully tap into his marketing potential as a freak of nature and as a charismatic character — which would only benefit the NBA in terms of ratings.
The Knicks are the highest-valued franchise in the league, according to Forbes, and it would greatly benefit from having a generational player of his caliber — one that could ultimately change the scope of their future, even without the two max free agents that could come over this summer.
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