The New York Knicks desperately need size, but their search for big men will continue. With the 17th pick in the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft, the Knicks Thursday night took Georgia Tech guard Iman Shumpert. Shumpert is known as a very good defender, which begins to help fill a big hole for the Knicks. As a sophomore at Georgia Tech last season, Shumpert averaged 17.3 points per game to go along with 3.5 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game. He has a lot of size for a point guard at 6-foot-6, and draft-central site DraftExpress.com compares him to a bigger version of Kyle Lowry.
As with any draft selection, each player will be judged by not only how they do, but how the people who are drafted behind them end up as pros. The Knicks passed on the best defensive player in the draft, Florida State forward Chris Singleton, and the best rebounder in the draft, Morehead State's Kenneth Faried. The Knicks may have been better off taking either of them over Shumpert, but only time will tell.
It will be interesting to see if the Knicks will purchase another pick either late in the first round or early n the second round. If they do, you'd think they have to look to fill the size/rebounding need.
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