The New York Knicks didn't have the chance to draft Zion Williamson on Thursday night, but came away with quite the consolation prize regardless. This time last year, R.J. Barrett was considered the prize of the 2019 draft class, and all he did since then is become one of only several freshman in NCAA history to earn consensus First Team All-American honors. He's not Williamson, but Barrett nevertheless has the chance to be a star in his own right.
The Knicks, though, apparently aren't satisfied by taking the Duke freshman at No. 3 overall. According to Reid Forgrave of CBS Sports, New York is “hunting” another first-round pick to pair Barrett with Oregon center Bol Bol.
Source tells me Knicks hunting a 1st rounder to take Bol Bol.
— Reid Forgrave (@ReidForgrave) June 20, 2019
Bol, considered a potential top-five pick coming into his freshman campaign with the Ducks, played just nine games last season after suffering a non-displaced fracture of his left foot in early December. He was absolutely dominant when he took the floor, averaging 21.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 56.1 percent from the floor and 52.0 percent from beyond the arc in just nine appearances.
At a hair over 7-foot-2 with a 7-foot-7 wingspan, Bol is one of the most unique prospects to enter the draft in recent memory. He's an incredibly fluid athlete for a player his size, using that rare dexterity to make hay from the perimeter as both a three-point shooter and two-dribble driver. Bol weighed in at just 208 pounds at the NBA combine, though, leading to his tendency to shy away from physicality in the paint. His passion and commitment for the game has come into question, too.
Bol is the son of the late Manutle Bol, a 7-foot-7 center who played 10 seasons in the NBA in the 1980s and 1990s.
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